An unruly passenger is being investigated after she sent two passengers and one flight attendant to the hospital. The incident is renewing sentiments for more protection for flight attendants, 85% of whom have experienced some form of abuse in the year of 2021, according to a survey by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.
An investigation has been launched by the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration after an incident with an unruly passengers over the weekend saw three individuals hospitalized, including a flight attendant.
Law enforcement removed a “disruptive customer” from flight 476 which was bound from San Francisco, California, to Chicago, Illinois, early Sunday after it landed at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Twitter user @PeterKondelis shared a video of the incident to Twitter.
Flight attendant assaulted on @united flight 476 that just landed in Chicago at @fly2ohare. pic.twitter.com/4ksmKl5PAC
— Peter Kondelis (@PeterKondelis) November 13, 2022
A woman with a baby can be heard screaming and then yelling, “Where is it?” As a flight attendant says, “Ma’am, we are landing.” Another person is herd yelling, “Sarah, step back!” A flight attendant is then seen running down the aisle to help her colleague towards the end of the clip. At least three people, including one crew member, were taken to Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago for observation, police and United Airlines said.
"One member of the flight attendant crew was taken to a hospital for evaluation," United said in a statement to an American news outlet. "We're grateful to our crew for handling this difficult situation with professionalism and for putting the safety of our team and our customers first."
"United Airlines Flight 476, a Boeing 777-200, landed safely at Chicago O'Hare International Airport around 6 a.m. Sunday after the crew reported an unruly passenger," the FAA said in a statement.
No serious injuries were reported, according to United. However the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the police, and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.
Corliss King, the vice president of the Transportation Union Workers Local 556, was one of six flight attendants who held a news conference on Thursday at Midway Airport to address the issue of passenger abuse that crew members experience on flights.
The union-led effort called “Assault Won’t Fly” is urging legislators, regulators and airline executives to offer more protection for crew members in the Protection From Abusive Passengers Act. "Those passengers need to have consequences across the industry," said King. "They should be banned from flying on any commercial aircraft for a period of time."
"We have had flight attendants who have been hit, who have been grabbed to the point of bruising, some who've been followed off the aircraft and some who've been spirited away through the terminal because of threats," she added. "It needs to stop."
In late 2021, US Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a directive for US attorneys to prioritize the prosecution of any federal crimes after a spike in violence and intimidation tactics were reported on commercial flights.
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