BayAreaTrvler

I’m with UA and the flight crew on this. It’s time for rules to be enforced. If there are no rules, and no consequences, then we’ll have anarchy. I wouldn’t want to be inconvenienced, but I’ve certainly experienced similar delays for medical emergencies. Turn the plane around; arrest them for violating federal law; lifetime ban on UA, permanent SSSS anytime re-entering the US.

Continited

https://onemileatatime.com/news/unit...BR9piQImdAPB_Y

according to this there is a witness report that the passengers in question “rioted”… the source article for that is in Hebrew and I haven’t attempted to translate it… but this would certainly justify a return to EWR in my mind. No crew wants to embark on an overseas flight with hostile passengers.

bocastephen

Not over the top at all - I am one of the first to call out obnoxious crew overstepping their authority, and we have some rather famous examples of this that defy logic - for example, the lunatic flight attendant who had panic attack because someone had a photo of a 757 on their laptop as wallpaper and they ordered the customer (a FT member) to turn off their computer.

However in this case, I side 100% with the crew - in fact, I probably would have had them dragged back into coach by their hair and duct taped to their seats for the rest of the flight, but I would not trust the Israeli authorities to prosecute the flight disruption properly. I personally take a zero tolerance policy with seat poachers and mask non-wearers - so if these people refused to return to their seats, or likewise refused to wear a mask, absent the perfect world situation where other passengers could take turns jabbing them with a cattle prod for fun, the next best option is to divert and get rid of them - and the FAA really should start permanently banning all these people from air travel.

A permanent ban on UA means nothing - the DOT needs to ban these people from all interstate common carrier transportation of any kind for no less than 10 years and slap them with $10,000 minimum fines. Seriously, enough is enough.

Schultzois

If it’s as high risk as indicated (and I’m not doubting that it was), then why not land at BGR for example instead of hauling all the way back to EWR with riotous passengers on board. If what was needed was a police intervention then certainly that could have been accomplished at any US airport. And if it’s truly for safety, a lot faster to divert to BGR or even BOS. EWR???? Something doesn’t completely make sense here.

SPN Lifer

What an exciting thread.

Speaking as a former federal prosecutor for 6˝ years, and field division counsel to a DoJ law enforcement agency for another 5, I say, "Well done, United Air Lines!"

nycflyer222

I am not a flight attendant nor do I work in the travel industry. While I find flying more of a nuisance than ever, I understand the situation crew is in currently. There has been a notable rise in unruly passengers (bad behavior) in the past two years, and something needs to be done about it. The media coverage from this story alone sends a message to people that bad behavior will not be tolerated.

These people should be fined and banned from the airline permanently.

AlanInDC

Sad that we've come to this. But just "taking it" is problematic as I could then see the mirror FT post and media article "Passengers take business class seats with coach tickets and get only slap on the wrist" (or even less). And then vloggers start talking about just being assertive and you can ride in international business class for free.

Stil

Is it just me?
Or does there seem to be an out of chart escalating in unruly pax incidents and maby to some extent likewise "unruly" FA's on US Airlines?

halls120

The two passengers in question refused to sit in their assigned seats - trying to sit in a seat they had not paid for. When asked to return to the seats they purchased, they refused. How is that the result of an "unruly" FA?

Bouncer

No, absolutely not. Non-compliance with flight crew instructions and remaining near the cockpit (that's where business is) when directed to move back, escalates the risk to the crew, the passengers and the plane itself. You don't play with that at all.

It's not about sneaking into a nicer cabin. It's about refusing to leave when instructed to do so. If there was an air marshal on the flight these two are face first on the floor and zip tied. Finally, if the flight crew report this to any other country they overfly (and they sure as hell must) then they likely would be ordered to divert (with military escort) to any one of those countries.

Unsurprisingly, most nations won't allow you to fly a giant 500,000 lb bomb over their cities when there's people fighting aboard it.

I hope the FAA fines these two a crisp $37,000 each for their behavior.

Regards,
-Bouncer-

halls120

Concur. Had I been on that flight, I would have cheering the FA's on.

Bouncer

Landing slots, plus about a dozen other logistical reasons. Newark is a hub. UA has facilities and aircraft there to deal with all of the disruption easier plus they can re-origin the flight back to Israel with country clearances and the like. Going to BOS/BGR means none of that is as easy.

Regards,
-Bouncer-

JimInOhio

Agree. The crew probably didn’t know how the rest of the night would play out so much better to be at a 787 base where you’ll have more options.

FabCW

If I were on a flight in J and two pax self-upgraded, refused to return to their assigned seats, and began arguing with crew, I too would want action to be taken to ensure safety on board. If that requires the plane to turn around, so be it.

Stil

It was meant as a general observation in regards to the state of US aviation touching this subject.

As a frequent flyer to North America the apparent increase in incidents like this has just baffled me for a while.
The reports here and on many travel block seams to have jumped and much more so, then reported from European Airlines (subjectly speaking) which is my reference point.

My point with "unruly" FA's is that it takes to to tango and it seems that that FA from US airlines is more likely to escalate a situation then its European counterparts.

This is only hear-say on my behalf, as there to the best of my knowledge no statistic on the subject and therefore the reason behind the question mark in my first sentence.