Airlines and flight attendants are worried about the pro-Trump domestic terrorists who plan on traveling back home following their rioting in Washington, D.C.
American Airlines and United Airlines have both increased the number of staff members they have at D.C. airports.
Some of the Trumpers may not even be able to make it home. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) International, which represents 50,000 flight attendants and 17 airlines, said terrorists should not be allowed on flights home. “Their violent and seditious actions at the Capitol (Wednesday) create further concern about their departure from the DC area,” AFA president Sara Nelson said in a statement. “Acts against our democracy, our government, and the freedom we claim as Americans must disqualify these individuals from the freedom of flight.”
American Airlines’ union, Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APDA), sent out a statement about onboard accidents. The statement comes after several altercations took place on flights to D.C. One of those incidents includes Trump supporters verbally assaulting other passengers on board an American Airlines flight. Another instance involved two passengers being removed from a flight to D.C., CNN Travel reports.
“The mob mentality behavior that took place on several flights to the D.C. area (Tuesday) was unacceptable and threatened the safety and security of every single person on-board. It will not happen again,” Nelson said. APFA spokesman Paul Hartshorn, Jr. told CNN Travel that the union anticipated dysfunctional behavior from the group on flights, but not on “such a threatening and violent level.”
CNN Travel reports that airline crews traveling in and out of D.C. have been “forced to confront more than one passenger on board who’s verbally and or physically abusive to the crew, and to the passengers,” said Hartshorn. “That’s not something we should be dealing with.”
Two people removed so far from tonight’s flight to DC ahead of the #StopTheSteaI2021 rallies tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/lvXlYiD2Xd
— Jabin Botsford (@jabinbotsford) January 6, 2021
