American Airlines issued a statement defending the actions of a pilot who said he “would put this plane in the middle of Kansas and evict people” if they did not behave on a flight from Washington DC on Friday.
One of the passengers on the flight, who left Reagan National Airport for Phoenix Sky Harbor in Phoenix, Arizona, shared a video on social media over the weekend showing many of the travelers – several of whom appeared to be wearing red MAGA hats – singing “USA, USA “during an aerial ad.
Another video shared on Twitter captures the pilot’s comments, in which he threatens to “dump” disturbing passengers in Kansas.
“That’s how it’s going to be. Um, it’s a four and a half hour flight to Phoenix. Let’s put this plane in the middle of Kansas and evict people – I don’t care,” the pilot can be heard saying. “This … We will do this if necessary. So behave, please.”
The woman who uploaded the first video, conservative activist Mindy Robinson, also suggested in her tweet that the cries of the “USA” were what provoked the pilot’s reaction, although American Airlines suggested that some of the passengers refused to comply with Airline standards mandate the current mask.
“Before departure from Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), the pilot on board flight 1242 made an announcement emphasizing the importance of following the instructions of the crew and complying with mandatory facial coverage policies,” said a carrier representative at statement obtained by Fox News.
Robinson herself also hinted that passengers shouting “USA” were not following “all rules”, which is exactly what is required of commercial airline passengers, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and itself private aviation industry. Another Twitter user who responded to the video noted this, writing: “It’s a private company. You follow the rules or you don’t get their service. That’s how the free market works.”
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Friday’s incident is just one of many cases of airlines responding to disturbing passengers in the wake of US Capitol riots, during which a crowd of Trump supporters breached the entrance and stormed the building. Last week, Alaska Airlines banned 14 passengers who refused to wear masks and harassed crew members on a flight from Washington to Seattle. And on Thursday, American Airlines confirmed that it would no longer serve alcohol on flights to and from the DC area “as a precaution”, just a day after Trump supporters on a flight from Texas to DC clashed with other passengers after landing at Dulles International Airport.
American Airlines previously confirmed that it would no longer serve alcohol on flights to and from the DC area “as a precaution”, just a day after Trump supporters on a flight from Texas to DC clashed with other passengers after landing in the Dulles International Airport.
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In response to last week’s events, Sara Nelson, president of the Flight Attendants Association-CWA (AFA-CWA), has since called for a ban on anyone participating in “violent and seditious actions on Capitol Hill,” urging the government of USA to “disqualify these individuals from the freedom to fly.”
In response to AFA-CWA concerns, FAA administrator Steve Dickson said on Saturday that the FAA will take “severe enforcement measures” against disruptive passengers, “with penalties ranging from monetary fines to imprisonment.”
On the same day, the FAA tweeted that such crimes can result in fines of up to $ 35,000.
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“Federal law prohibits you from physically assaulting or threatening to physically attack the crew, and anyone else, on an aircraft. You could be subject to fines of up to $ 35,000 and imprisonment for such conduct,” tweeted the FAA.