REALLY SCARY STUFF Drunk guy threatens flight attendants with finger guns

Posted on 10/26/2015

An American Airlines flight heading for Dallas was diverted to Phoenix, after an allegedly drunk man became disruptive and threatened flight attendants with – you cannot make this stuff up – 'finger guns'. Police boarded after the plane landed and escorted the passenger from the flight but did not arrest him. So who gets the Dumbass of the Day award. The drunk. The flight attendants who were threatened by a “finger gun.” The pilot who actually diverted the flight or the airline who didn't press charges. Let’s make it a group tie.

The man, who was not named by police, allegedly refused to put on his seatbelt and repeatedly locked himself in the bathroom before making the 'finger guns' gesture – which must have been really terrifying! Officers and some of the 96 passengers on board the flight said he appeared to be intoxicated. Some passengers helped flight attendants restrain the man until the plane had landed.

“He went into the bathroom and would not come out of the bathroom and then some men went back there to go to the bathroom and then the next thing I know they’re holding him down,” passenger Erma Martinez told CBS DFW. The plane took off again around an hour later but dozens of passengers are believed to have missed connecting flights from Dallas because of the disruption. However, here’s the crazy thing, American Airlines chose not to press charges and the unruly passenger was back on a flight the next day.

A police spokesman said, “Phoenix Police officers removed the passenger from the plane, however, the airline did not desire prosecution. The passenger was sent to a local hotel with plans to catch another flight the next day.” An American Airlines spokesman said, “The decision by American Airlines is made on a case-by-case basis – based on the totality of circumstances.” He refused to explain what the circumstances were in this case.

So, let’s look at the “totality of circumstances” for the other passengers. They were inconvenienced, delayed, probably unnerved. So, who actually is this unnamed passenger, and why is he getting kid gloves treatment? The other issue is the willingness of airlines to divert flights at the drop of a seatbelt. Are flight attendants really threatened by a “finger gun?” Don’t airlines carry restraints on board? Can a disruptive passenger - drunk or otherwise - not be restrained in his seat? Why on earth would the airline not press charges? Will American Airlines refund and compensate the other passengers for their inconvenience? And, have you noticed there are never never air marshals on these “disrupted” flights? What flights are those guys on?