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Home  >  American Airlines  >  First Class Damsels Face Prison Time For Unruly Behavior On American Airlines Flight
American Airlines

First Class Damsels Face Prison Time For Unruly Behavior On American Airlines Flight

Matthew Klint Posted onSeptember 13, 2022September 13, 2022 16 Comments

A pair of women who assaulted both passengers and crewmembers onboard an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Los Angeles in first class now face prison time for their poor choice of behavior.

Women Face Sentencing For Unruly Behavior In American Airlines First Class Cabin

First, a bit of background about the case:

  • The incident occurred on February 24, 2021, onboard an American Airlines flight from Dallas (DFW) to Los Angeles (DFW)
  • Kelly Pichardo, 30, and Leeza Rodriguez, 29 were seated in first class
  • Each woman allegedly assaulted another passenger during the flight
  • When another passenger told them to stop, they used racial slurs against him
  • Pichardo then spit on the man
  • He then pulled out his phone to record the incident and Rodriguez slapped it out of his hand.
  • A flight attendant stepped in but was also assaulted
  • Due their unruly behavior, the captain made the decision to divert to Phoenix (PHX)
  • The women were arrested in PHX, then the flight continued to LAX

Both women have now pleaded guilty to interference with flight crew members. Pichardo was sentenced to four months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release. She has also been ordered to pay American Airlines $9,123.00 in restitution. Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced pursuant to her guilty plea in this case on November 7, 2022.

United States Attorney Gary Restaino noted:

“There is a line between boorish behavior on an airplane and criminal activity, and the defendant clearly crossed it. First class passengers are not immune from prosecution: defendant’s verbal and physical intimidation disrupted the travel of passengers and crew alike.”

It was a bad situation and Pichardo should be thankful she will only have to spend four months in prison and pay out less than $10,000. 

CONCLUSION

I am glad to see that some of these lingering cases from the pandemic era are being pursued. Even as we’ve seen a dramatic reduction in the number of onboard incidents, this is an important reminder that actions still have consequences.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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16 Comments

  1. Maryland Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 10:11 am

    Angertainment punished. Although the punishment was a bit lacking. Perhaps the other darling will get a sentence more in line with the offense.

  2. Mak Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 10:12 am

    These are terrible people who should be liable for damages and should be restricted from flying, but I’m wondering how it will serve society to lock them in a federal prison for 3 years! Excessive sentences like this serve little purpose save for employing federal prison guards, but won’t make any of us any safer while maximizing cruelty and assuring that the lives of these two will be ruined – which I understand is the point for most Americans.

    • Mak Reply
      September 13, 2022 at 10:25 am

      I read this too quickly. 4 months with 36 months supervised release – not 36 months of prison – which sounds more like it. My bad.

  3. Billy Bob Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 10:15 am

    They really just need a map, florida is the other direction

    • Miles Reply
      September 13, 2022 at 10:36 am

      Well, if you were looking for a place crazier than Florida, California is a good place to look

  4. Malik on Wall Street Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 10:20 am

    If they wanted to burn 9k, then they should’ve bought business class tickets to Europe or something. It would’ve been a better trip than heading to prison for four months

    • Cresent City Reply
      September 13, 2022 at 2:22 pm

      Yep, they could of sat next to the Mayor of New Orleans on her trips to Europe.

      • DCAWABN Reply
        September 14, 2022 at 10:50 am

        Yep, they could HAVE. They could HAVE been seated next to anyone.

  5. East Bank Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 2:25 pm

    This is the new norm for 1st class.

    Even those of us in Steerage behave better than these two.

  6. Mark Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 3:12 pm

    No excuse for anything other than impeccable behaviour in any class of air travel, but this pair were assigned First???
    Far too much bad behaviour and lack of respect for crew and fellow pax on flights (even with the claims that such behaviour is in decline)
    The less than $10k restitution won’t scratch the surface of the airline’s diversion costs and subsequent loss of revenue.
    Prison time and fines in no way reflect their behaviour.

  7. dave Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 4:54 pm

    The attorney refers to them as first class passengers. A better description of them would be that they were passengers in first class.

  8. Scott Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 5:11 pm

    “Damsels”? Good lord…

  9. Gt Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 10:52 pm

    Both are of that punk ass, wannabe gangsta bitch packing gen. How they got coins for 1st class is questionable especially with attitude they displayed. Their age hides their mentality but i bet their language and clothes says i’m bitchin.

  10. Robb Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 10:54 pm

    And what of the passenger that was assaulted by both? What action is he taking?

  11. Hadassah Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 11:02 pm

    People were sent to Gitmo for less. Why the powder puff sentence for verbal & bioterrorist assault? Oh, yea, I know why. (Wink)

  12. Angelo Reply
    September 13, 2022 at 11:35 pm

    That’s what happens when people buy cheap tickets and upgrade to first class. These two probably always fly Spirit!!

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