An American Airlines flight bound from São Paulo to New York on April 24 erupted into turmoil when a flight attendant knocked a female passenger to the ground after she appeared to try and breach the flight deck.
The confrontation began when the woman, upset over the flight’s delay, attempted to question the pilots as one exited the cockpit. Anxious about her trajectory towards the flight deck, crew members intervened, and the situation quickly escalated.
Video of the altercation posted to social media shows the woman shouting profanities and making threats as crew members attempt to remove her from the business-class section.
At one point, she yelled at the interceding flight attendant, “Aren’t you ashamed? I’ll kick you in the balls.” Moments later, she was seen being physically taken down the aisle by airline staff while a male passenger nearby shouted at her.
As she was being escorted back to her seat, the woman continued to holler insults, including homophobic slurs, at crew members and fellow passengers. “You son of a bitch – disgusting – you can’t touch me. You don’t know who you’re talking to – you’re going to get screwed. I went to ask why I was late and this f***** threw me out,” she shouted.
A second flight attendant attempted to de-escalate the situation with the other agitated passenger, but both he and the unnamed female passenger who caused all the commotion were ultimately removed from the flight.
The disturbance forced American Airlines flight AA950 to return to the gate to remove the offending passengers from the aircraft, further delaying its scheduled departure. The flight eventually took off two hours and 25 minutes late, according to the Independent.
In an official statement, American Airlines confirmed the event: “On Thursday, April 24, American Airlines flight 950, en route from São Paulo (GRU) to New York (JFK), returned to the gate before departure due to a security issue on board. The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we appreciate our customers’ understanding.”
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