An American Airlines flight bound from North Carolina to Southern California was diverted to New Mexico on Monday night when an unidentified passenger aimed a "threatening statement" at a crewmember.
"American Airlines flight 482 from Charlotte (CLT) to Los Angeles (LAX) diverted to Albuquerque (ABQ) following a passenger disruption in which a threatening statement was made toward a crew member," airline spokesperson Curtis Blessing told CNN in an emailed statement.
"The aircraft was met by local law enforcement after landing safely at ABQ at 10:25 p.m. local time. The passengers involved were deplaned, and the flight later re-departed for LAX." He continued, "We thank our crew for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this caused to their travel plans."
While there weren't many details forthcoming, a spokesperson for the Albuquerque International Sunport airport told CNN that they could, "confirm that there was an unscheduled inbound American Airlines flight last evening," and that the FBI has already taken over the disruptive passenger's case.
In his statement, Blessing reiterated that American Airlines requires its, "customers to comply with...policies when they choose to fly with us, and we take action when that is not the case."
As of February 1, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has logged 323 unruly passenger incidents this year, 205 of which were mask-related. In 2022 so far, 73 investigations have been set in motion and 26 enforcement action cases initiated. 2021 was a record year for unruly passenger issues on airplanes, with 5,981 reports filed by the end of the year, 4,290 of which were mask-related.
The situation has become so intolerable that airlines and crewmembers are entreating the federal government to implement stricter measures to curb escalating unruly passengers.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian last week petitioned U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for help from the Justice Department to establish and enforce a shared domestic 'no-fly' list for passengers convicted of a crime linked to a disruption confrontation.
"This action will help prevent future incidents and serve as a strong symbol of the consequences of not complying with crew member instructions on commercial aircraft," Bastian wrote in his letter to the nation's chief law enforcement officer.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg seems to be on board in terms of exploring this policy option. On Monday, he told CNN's Kate Bolduan "we need to take a look at" putting unruly passengers on a federal no-fly list. "You simply should not behave this way on an airplane-you shouldn't behave this way on the ground either," Buttigieg said.
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