Twelve dollars is no doubt a decent chunk of change but certainly nothing more than what many travelers would shell out for a pre-flight meal or souvenir.
Unfortunately for passengers aboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Las Vegas Wednesday, a fellow passenger forced a diversion to Los Angeles all because he was unwilling to pay $12 for an in-flight blanket.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles Airport Police Department told the Los Angeles Times that the 66-year-old passenger requested a blanket because he was cold, but became upset when he learned he would have to pay for it.
"I would like to take someone behind the woodshed for this," the man allegedly said while speaking to company representatives over the phone.
The flight was subsequently diverted to Los Angeles International Airport because of the unruly passenger. The plane was met by authorities, who escorted the man off the aircraft around 10:20 a.m. local time Wednesday.
Police released the man after determining there was no criminal threat, and he boarded another flight to Hawaii with a different airline. However, the incident forced passengers aboard Flight #7 to arrive in Honolulu four hours behind schedule, according to CBS Los Angeles.
"I thought it was ridiculous," passenger Eileen Berstrom told CBS Los Angeles. "First of all, it costs $12,000 for them to land here, and it's a $12 blanket."
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Although there was no physical altercation, Hawaiian Airlines thought it best to not take any chances.
"Diverting a flight is clearly not our first choice, but our crew felt it was necessary in this case to divert to Los Angeles and deplane the passenger before beginning to fly over the Pacific Ocean," the carrier said in a statement.
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