For the third time in weeks, an airplane passenger had to be duct-taped mid-flight after becoming unruly. This time, the passenger was a 13-year-old boy.
Video of the ordeal shows passengers restraining the teen as a flight attendant returns holding duct tape during the American Airlines Tuesday flight from Maui to Los Angeles. The boy began throwing a tantrum on the flight and fighting his mother before attempting to kick out a window as the plane was in the sky. Once he was taped to his seat, the flight was diverted to Honolulu. The boy was then taken into custody. An American Airlines spokesperson stated that all passengers were placed on different flights or had complimentary hotel arrangements made following the inconvenience.
Last month, American Airlines were faced with a similar situation when a woman physically assaulted several flight attendants and tried opening the plane’s door. She, too, was duct-taped to her seat until the plane landed.
Earlier this month, Frontier Airlines used duct tape to restrain a man who punched and groped flight attendants.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, unruly passenger occurrences have surged since last year, causing the agency to track these instances. From January 1st, 2021, through May 24th, 2021, the FAA received nearly 2,500 reports of unruly passengers during flights. They have responded by enacting hefty fines and even placing some troublemakers on the no-flight list.
