Category: Transport Watch

Gyeong Jei Lee became unruly on a Korean Air flight en route from Seoul to Seattle. He allegedly placed a plastic bag on his head and started banging on the cockpit door, claiming he had a bomb, and demanding to be flown to Vancouver, Canada. Another passenger on board, Gene Parente, overpowered him, having chased him around the aircraft. The crew did assist, using a taser, but felt that they needed the assistance of a larger able-bodied passenger given Lee’s size.

A video posted to social media shows a man wearing his face mask around his neck and being verbally aggressive to cabin crew, telling them “you will be fired by midnight”. The man was allegedly angry about delays and COVID-19 measures.

A Jet2 flight from Glasgow to Bodrum, Turkey, diverted to Manchester after a 38-year-old man became aggressive. He was arrested for assault and criminal damage.

An intoxicated 39-year-old male passenger was removed from a flight to Moscow after becoming abusive.

A man known only as ‘Michael’ posted a video on social media, which he captioned ‘Harrassed by @SpiritAirlines flight attendant’. The video depicts Michael, who is wearing a stars and stripes neck gaiter, getting into a verbal altercation with a member of Spirit Airlines cabin crew who tells him either to fold the gaiter to ensure his mouth and nose are covered by a double layer of fabric or to wear a face mask instead. The crew member informs the man that the face covering does not comply with CDC guidelines as it consists of a single layer of fabric but Michael refuses to fold it or replace it with a mask, saying he had worn it on 20 other flights.

An intoxicated 29-year-old British man is alleged to have bitten off part of the ear of his travelling companion shortly after their Ryanair flight from Birmingham landed in Mallorca.

A Delta flight to Los Angeles returned to the gate for the removal of a passenger who refused to wear a mask.

A male passenger was removed from a Hokkaido Air System flight bound for Hakodate from Okushiri Airport because he refused to wear a face mask.

Videos emerged on social media of a Black woman who launched a racially motivated tirade against passengers and crew just after a Spirit Airlines flight had landed in Sacramento. The woman claimed to be ‘Queen of California’ and refused to follow crew instructions to take her seat. She was escorted from the flight by police.

A Jetstar Japan flight was significantly delayed after a male passenger on board claimed to have a bomb. No suspicious items were found.