Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. A passenger on American Airlines Flight 618 from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Newark got a little too rowdy, and I mean a little too rowdy. The guy started becoming belligerent, hitting the passenger next to him and a woman who tried to intervene, according to Richard Olenick, who was on the flight. I’m thinking, what’s the world coming to, right? The man also used racial and homophobic slurs, because, you know, that’s exactly what you want to hear at 30,000 feet.
The situation got so out of hand that a flight attendant had to ask for help, and Juan Mejia, a retired New Jersey police officer, stepped in to assist. Mejia, along with Olenick and a third person, used a ziptie to restrain the man’s wrists, and when that didn’t work, they broke out the duct tape. Because, you know, duct tape fixes everything, right? They made sure not to put tape over the man’s mouth, because, as Olenick said, they didn’t want him to have any issues breathing. Bless their hearts.
The man continued to resist, even after being restrained, and Olenick had to sit on his lap for 15 minutes until the plane made an emergency landing in Baltimore. I’m thinking, that’s a long 15 minutes, folks. The Maryland Transportation Authority Police met the plane and arrested the man, who was not named. After the passenger was removed, the flight continued on to Newark, because, you know, the show must go on.
American Airlines released a statement saying that the safety and security of their customers and team members is their top priority, and they do not tolerate violence. Well, that’s good to know. The FAA reported that there have been over 1,160 unruly passenger incidents so far this year, and they can pursue fines of more than $43,000 against any passenger who assaults, threatens, or interferes with airline crew members. That’s a pretty hefty fine, if you ask me.
As I’m reading this, I’m thinking, what’s the deal
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
