Worst Passenger of the Week: the Games People Play
Jeff Edwards March 02, 2018
Every Friday, FlyerTalk looks back at the week’s most charming individuals. While there are always plenty of contenders for our Worst Passenger of the Week award, only one lucky flyer can take home the glory. Here are this week’s winners.
The very worst passengers of all are the ones whose actions can cause a loss of life and there are very few things more dangerous than trying to hitch a ride in the underbelly of a commercial jet plane. Unfortunately, desperation has once again turned into tragedy, this time for two stowaways who crawled above the landing gear of a Boeing 767-300.
Both of the unauthorized passengers were ejected from the LATAM-operated flight departing from Ecuador’s José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (GYE) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The pair’s lifeless bodies were discovered on the runway shortly after the aircraft departed.
Police speculate that the stowaways’ final terrifying moments may have marked the end of a much longer journey. It is thought that the two men could have possibly sneaked onto the aircraft in Peru, where the flight originated.
“What is known is that the plane came from Peru” Prosecutor Carlos Bustamante explained in local media reports. “From the characteristics of the citizens, they may come from Peru, and from here they would go to the United States, to New York.”
Had the two men, believed to both be between 25 and 30-years-old, survived the intercontinental voyage, there is still very little chance this story would have had a happy ending. Whether undertaken for adventure or for the hope of a better life, hiding in the belly of a jet aircraft rarely works out well for those involved.
In June of 2015, a teenager survived an arduous 8,000-mile flight from Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the belly of a British Airways Boeing 747, only to fall to his death as the aircraft made its final descent over London. In April 2015, a 21-year-old stowaway barely survived an hour-long flight from Pekanbaru Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (PKU) to Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) clinging to the landing gear of a Garuda Indonesia aircraft.
When it comes to lodging a complaint with a crew member, the squeaky wheel might sometimes get the oil, but the cracked wheel will likely get discarded in a hurry. The passenger filmed having a violent tantrum on a JetBlue flight waiting to depart from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) falls solidly into the latter category.
It isn’t clear what set the irate and aggressive passenger off in the first place. In fact, based on the footage of the shameful episode, much of the unidentified flyer’s behavior was confusing. The end result, however, was completely predictable.
“Get the f*** off of me!” the troublemaking passenger can be heard ranting in the now viral video. “Big, where the f*** are you at! I need the seat Biggie! Why are we still in the f***ing airport? We are not on a f***ing plane obviously. I get high as sh**. I get f***ing dumb water!”
The nonsensical shouting soon takes an even uglier turn when the aggravated traveler suddenly appears to punch a flight attendant who is trying to calm the situation. Despite being savagely struck on the head, the cabin crew member is able to quickly restrain the disturbed passenger, before asking passengers to help keep the enraged man in check. As if by design, at the exact moment the fight attendant begins yelling for help, the captain announces from the flight deck that the plane will be retuning to the gate due to “circumstances in the cabin.”
The Runner-up – Chutes and Ladders
“While Flight 1640 was parked at the gate at Newark Liberty International Airport, a passenger opened the emergency exit door and departed the aircraft using the slide,” this, according to a United Airlines spokesperson discussing a passenger’s dramatic exit from an aircraft this week. Passenger Troy Fattun reportedly told police responding to the unusual egress that he decided that he had to leave the flight immediately because he realized that he was on the wrong plane.
It appears, however, that the 25-year-old’s bold escape plan wasn’t entirely necessary. Authorities say that Fattun was indeed ticketed on the flight that he inexplicably went to great pains to disembark prematurely.
According to police, the confused and “panicked” passenger was taken into custody. Meanwhile, passengers on the flight, which had been due to depart for Tampa International Airport (TPA), were delayed until early the following morning.
Dissatisfied passengers sometimes find it is necessary to politely escalate customer service issues in order to be taken seriously and hopefully receive a satisfactory resolution. This generally doesn’t mean taking one’s shirt off and chasing airport workers around the tarmac. On the other hand, the passenger at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) who did just that after being kicked off his American Airlines flight to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) for misbehaving, certainly got everyone’s complete attention.
The bizarre incident on Monday would seem to defy all belief if not for the fact that a fellow passenger captured footage of the entire spectacle on his phone. Video of the incident shows the defiant flyer roaming around the tarmac and intermittently chasing down and assaulting ramp workers clad in bight yellow vests.
As the out-of-control passenger’s rampage continues for what seems like an exceptionally long time, the airport workers keep their distance, but maintain a close watch on the erratic trespasser, which is exactly how they were required to handle the situation.
According to the CTL Aviation Security Handbook, any airport worker who “fails to challenge someone in a restricted area who is not displaying an ID badge” could be punished with the loss of their airport credentials. The handbook is less clear about what to do when that person removes his shirt and begins punching and charging at workers, although the rulebook suggests that if an employee feels threatened or “afraid to approach a person, immediately notify Airport Operations and keep the person in sight if it is safe to do so.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
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