An American Airlines flight diverted to Denver on Wednesday after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant on board. The airline confirmed that the passenger was arrested once the plane landed. According to Paul Hartshorn Jr, the national communications chair for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the flight attendant sustained broken bones in her face.
Broken Bones in Her Face
According to a source close to the investigation, the flight attendant accidentally bumped into the passenger and apologized immediately. Later, the passenger approached the flight attendant and punched her.
Hartshorn said that the incident was “not surprising”. He added that “We’ve been dealing with this for 20 months now”.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said in a video statement after the incident that “This is happening far too often”.
Both Parker and Hartshorn expressed their support to the injured flight attendant. Parker said that American Airlines is already working with both the FAA and law enforcement. According to Parker, “We are doing everything we can to ensure he is prosecuted to the fullest extent possible”. The passenger was also banned to fly on American Airlines.
Bigger Issue that Authorities Need to Addressed
For Hartshorn, there is bigger issue that authorities need to address. He said that “Since the pandemic began, we’ve been seeing an increase in flight attendant assaults”. He added that “We’ve been seeing verbal assaults on our flight attendants every day, it’s safe to say, and physical attacks increasing”.
The numbers agree with Hartshorn. FAA’s data shows that from January 1 to October 26, there were 4,941 cases of unruly passengers.
In July, the TSA reopened its self-defense training for flight crew members as a response to the situation. Hartshorn said that “It’s a shame that we have to do something like that, but we’re thankful that the TSA has reimplemented those classes”
According to Hartshorn, the union supports the mask mandate and also wants to get rid of to-go alcohol in the airport.
He said that “We’ve seen passengers boarding intoxicated at levels we’ve never seen before”. He added that some passengers are “sneaking drinks during flight”.
