The number of incidents involving unruly passengers on planes has skyrocketed, with a staggering 5,779 incidents reported to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2021.
More than 4,000 of the incidents involved wearing masks, while some 300 more had to do with passengers under the influence of alcohol.
Christopher Alexander Morgan, Delta passenger allegedly assaulted flight attendant
One of the most recent mid-flight controversies was caused by Christopher Alexander Morgan, a passenger onboard a Delta flight, who became infuriated over drinks.
Mr. Morgan, who confessed to being homophobic, has been accused of attacking a flight attendant who refused to serve him more alcohol.
According to newly-released files from the FBI, the incident took place aboard Flight 2908 from Georgia to Arizona on April 22, 2022.
Sitting in first-class, the unruly Delta passenger got upset after his request for more alcoholic beverages from the flight attendant was denied.
The passenger spewed an anti-gay slur and hurled objects, including a phone, at the Delta employee whose initials are H.D.
According to the unsealed FBI affidavit via New York Post: “He reclined his (1D) seat all the way back and refused to put on his seatbelt. Two flight attendants told him to bring his seatback to the upright position for takeoff, but he refused, became uncooperative, and would not comply with their instructions.”
The affidavit went on to say that after the seat-belt row, Mr. Morgan ordered alcohol and became furious when the flight attendant served him a non-alcoholic beverage.
The official documents shared what happened next: “Morgan called H.D. the f-word and a ‘queer’ and threw a glass of ice at H.D. When passenger R.O., who was sitting in seat 2G, said something to Morgan to deescalate Morgan’s display of aggression, Morgan became angry with the passenger R.O. and held the glass he was holding up to R.O.’s face.”
The flight attendant then informed the plane’s captain about the incident.
The affidavit continued: “According to H.D., Morgan then got out of his seat, grabbed the telephone from H.D., and hit H.D. in the chest with the telephone. Passenger R.O. reported that he heard Morgan call H.D. a ‘fag’ and observed Morgan take the airplane phone from H.D. and throw it at him.”
According to the government officials, the unruly passenger was “uncooperative and would not comply” with flight attendants’ instructions.
Mr. Morgan’s behavior became problematic for the crew members who took measures to protect the cockpit door for the remainder of the flight “out of security concerns.”
When the plane landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Mr. Morgan was arrested and charged with interference with flight crew members or attendants.
Unruly Delta passenger says he is homophobic
He is facing up to 20 years behind bars. Morgan denied the assault accusation levied by the crew member.
However, he confessed to the authorities that he was upset over the drink and was uncomfortable having a gay flight attendant near him because he is homophobic.
It was revealed: “H.D. was homosexual and that this made him uncomfortable. Morgan said that he is homophobic and that it is possible he could have been intimidating to the flight attendants. He said that his homophobia may have caused his temper towards the flight attendant to escalate, and he admitted that he called H.D. a queer.”
Another example includes a woman, who punched a flight attendant and chipped three of her teeth, has pleaded guilty to federal charges, and now faces time in prison.
Viviana Quinonez, a California woman busted a flight attendant’s teeth
Viviana Quinonez, 28, from Sacramento, California, was on a Southwest Airlines plane when she became unruly after a flight attendant asked her to comply with regulations.
The female flight attendant, whose full name is not known but appears as S.L. on official documents, asked the passenger to put her tray table away, fasten her seatbelt, and wear a mask while the plane was descending into San Diego.
Miss Quinonez recorded the encounter on her phone and pushed the flight attendant before standing up and punching her in the face.
At this point, other passengers got involved, and another passenger recorded the incident from a different angle.
Photographs of the flight attendant with a black eye and bloodied face were released after the incident. She was reported to need stitches under her left eye and two crowns on her teeth.
Miss Quinonez was set to be sentenced in March 2022, but the hearing was rescheduled. She violated the terms of her bond by getting arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Quinonez pleaded guilty
On January 7, 2022, Miss Quinonez pleaded guilty to assault. However, on January 16, 2022, Miss Quinonez caught the attention of the California Highway Patrol for driving erratically.
After being pulled over, she gave the authorities the reasons that she was unwell and disoriented.
She said that her stomach had shrunk due to bypass surgery and, therefore, could not manage alcohol like before.
She also claimed that a recent lovers’ quarrel with her boyfriend played a part in the incident.
She was apprehended on February 15 and is currently behind bars and will have her day in court on May 27, 2022. Miss Quinonez, who has already been banned from flying for the next three years, could face up to 20 years in prison for the attack and a fine of up to $250,000.
“Behaving dangerously on a plane will cost you; that’s a promise,” is the warning issued by Acting Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Administrator Billy Nolen.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced that the “zero-tolerance policy” put in place to deal with unruly passengers would become permanent.
The policy was initially put in place in January 2021 by former FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.
Federal Aviation Administration’s permanent policy makes it expensive to be an unruly passenger
The zero-tolerance mandate saw the day of light after a series of incidents took place on flights during the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Mr. Dickson said the policy would be imposed in conjunction with the requirement that masks be worn onboard planes.
The agency shared its decision that the policy would remain in place after a court ended the transportation mask requirements.
Mr. Nolen also said this week that “keeping our zero-tolerance policy will help us continue making progress to prevent and punish this behavior.”
The agency explained that passengers, who are uncooperative and who display unruly behaviors, will not be getting warning letters or counseling but will instead be hit with hefty fines.
Since January 2021, the FAA has doled out more than $7 million in fines to disruptive passengers.
This month, the biggest fine ever was issued. An unruly passenger was slapped with a $81,950 fine for an incident that took place on an American Airlines flight in July 2021.
According to the authorities, the passenger pushed a “flight attendant aside and tried to open the cabin door.”
