A circulating video is turning heads as it shows a commotion erupting on an American Airlines flight on Thursday when a passenger attempted to barge into the cockpit. The unruly female passenger had to be restrained by the flight crew, leading to an onboard altercation.
The commotion at the Brazilian airport on a flight scheduled to depart São Paulo and head to New York City caused a significant delay. The viral video of her being knocked to the ground begins just as the pilot opens the cockpit door. The woman, standing close to the door with flight attendants, seemingly tries to storm the cockpit, but the passenger is immediately tackled to the ground by a male crew member.
The passenger becomes rowdy as she struggles to get free, yelling and threatening to kick the flight attendants “in the balls,” according to a report by Aeroin, a Brazilian aviation magazine.
A barefoot male passenger got involved when the woman was tackled. The angry passenger stands and starts shouting at the crew. The male, who is in first class and speaking in Portuguese, also shouted at the woman. The woman, still restrained, screamed back at the man while accusing the crew of mistreatment when her intention was only to find out the reason for the delay in takeoff.
“You son of a b**ch, 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 [man] threw me out,” she shouted, according to reports. She is escorted toward the back of the plane and continues to argue with the male passenger, prompting another flight attendant to intervene, attempting to calm him.
The chaotic scene caused the plane to return to the gate, which caused a great delay in take off. Both the first-class passenger and the woman were removed from the flight following the incident. After the unruly passengers were offloaded, the flight resumed and departed more than two hours later than planned for New York City.
American Airlines released a statement, addressing the incident. The airline confirmed the unscheduled return to the gate in a statement. It also emphasised that the safety of everyone onboard remained a top priority and expressed gratitude to the other passengers for their understanding.
