An American Airlines flight was hours into a trip to Milan when it had to turn back around to New York. Multiple reports state that a passenger was wilding over a meal preference and his seating to the point of disrupting the entire flight.
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Details About Turned Around American Airlines Flight
According to CBS News, the FAA is still investigating the case. However, the known details say that the flight took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport at 7 p.m. Monday to head to Milan. Around the four-hour mark, an overhead announcement revealed that the flight was headed back to JFK. The plane landed back in New York City at around 3 a.m. After the plane landed, the passenger was allegedly escorted off of the plane. CBS reports that the man was later let go without any criminal charges.
Meanwhile, passengers were forced to stay in JFK overnight on Monday (April 7). Their rebooked flights took off to Milan at 11 a.m. the next day, about 16 hours after the original flight. American Airlines addressed the incident in a statement:
“American Airlines flight 198 with service from New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP) returned to JFK due to a disruptive passenger. The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we thank our customers for their understanding.”
Passengers Describe What Happened From Their POV
The man was apparently traveling with a baby and became upset after flight officials denied him seating in an exit row. The passenger was also allegedly turning up after the American Airlines flight also didn’t have his preferred meal.
A passenger named Krystie Tomlinson claimed that officials began asking about law enforcement on board after they were unable to locate an air marshal.
“There was apparently somebody in the back, he was charging at the stewardesses. At some point, he charged past all of our seats and tried to barge into the pilot’s cabin,” Tomlinson reportedly told CBS. “Apparently, the whole thing started because of a meal choice they didn’t get. I guess they asked for it ahead of time. They never got exactly what they wanted. They also wanted to sit in an exit row. They had a baby with them, so they told them they couldn’t and apparently those two things are what pushed the person over the edge.”
Another passenger, Michael Scigliano, reportedly said the flight officials initially told them the issue was technical, which he says was “even scarier.”
“The guy was still in the back of the plane unprotected, unrestrained, which was a little bit scary considering we had a plane full of 300 people and there was no air marshal on board, and we’ve got this crazy man in the back,” Scigliano added, per CBS.
Additionally, Michael claimed that American Airlines wasn’t much help with the passengers’ overnight stay. “They offered us nothing,” he said. Krystie backed up his take, saying she requested to use the American Airlines lounge to breastfeed her child and was told she’d have to pay $79.
United Airlines Had A Similar Incident Happen
Less than a month ago, passengers on a United Airlines flight went through a similar situation. This time, though, the plane was headed to China from the other side of the country, Los Angeles. There were 270 people on board, including the UA crew. After two hours in the air, the flight was redirected to San Francisco because the pilot had forgotten his passport. Social media users went OFF after learned what the airline offered folks for arriving six hours behind their original arrival time.
