An intoxicated Spirit Airlines passenger was arrested after attacking two flight attendants on a flight from Florida.
Intoxicated Woman Attacks Spirit Airlines Flight Attendants With Punches And Hair Pulling
The incident occurred Saturday evening on Spirt Airlines 222 from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Nashville (BNA). While it isn’t clear what led up to the outburst, an intoxicated passenger attacked a pair of flight attendants, punching them and pulling their hair.
The woman was restrained by other passengers and zip-tied to her seat. Rather than divert, the flight continued to Nashville.
Authorities met the aircraft and the woman was arrested. She resisted arrest, screaming to cops ,”Shoot me motherf****ers” and “I didn’t do anything wrong!” She also stiffened her legs in an effort to resist being placed in a police car.
The arrest report notes the woman:
- smelled of alcohol
- spoke in a slurred manner
- had bloodshot eyes
She also admitted to cops she had consumed too much alcohol.
Per Newsweek, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed:
The crew of Spirit Airlines Flight 222, an Airbus A320, reported a passenger disturbance and landed at Nashville International Airport at 7:30 p.m. local time Saturday. The flight was coming from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport when the incident occurred.
Spirit Airlines added:
“We do not tolerate aggressive behavior of any kind, and this passenger is no longer welcome on any of our flights.
“Thank you to our guests who assisted our crew and local law enforcement for their assistance. We will work with the relevant authorities to ensure this individual is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The sad part of this story? The Spirit Airlines flight crew has elected not to press charges. Yes, the unidentified passenger will face public intoxication charges, but according to The Tennessean, the police affidavit notes that the flight crew chose not to press charges against the passenger. I hope the two flight attendants change their mind.
CONCLUSION
An intoxicated passenger has been arrested for assaulting a pair of flight attendants on a Spirit Airlines flight. A passenger stepped into hold the woman down as she was strapped to her seat for the remainder of the flight. Thus far, flight attendants have chosen not to press charges, but hopefully upon further reflection they will reconsider and understand that unless ill-behaved passengers are held responsible for their actions, these sorts of incidents will continue.
image: Tomás Del Coro
A real Battle For The Skies kind of day.
Matthew, my guess as to why the flight crew did not press charges is because that action would have to be completed on their own time and dime. Unless any or all of the crew lives in Nashville, it would likely be a major hassle for them to meet any required court appearances there, not to mention the expense. And that brings up the following question: what airline, if any, reimburse such expenses for crewmembers in these cases of unruly passengers?
Where’s the mugshot or video?
Don’t tell me no one uploaded this to social media.
Are Spirit FA unionized? They need to press charges. Pulling your hair is assault. Management needs to speak to these FA’s.
amazing
nothing to say
It may be the airline who ‘suggested’ the FAs not press charges. A long time ago a minor Saudi princess threw a tantrum on a TWA flight because the FA would not allow her entourage to join her in First Class. The FA, who was violently punched and kicked, initially wanted to press charges. Saudi contacted the airline, suggesting their landing rights could be in jeopardy, and asked that the embarrassment to their country be avoided by allowing them to deal with the princess. The company made it clear to the FA they would not be supporting her (allowing time off etc) and she declined to press charges. The passenger was released and Saudi ordered her home immediately (not even shopping time allowed). It was later heard that she had been put to death.