Latest news with #KrystieTomlinson
Daily Mirror
30-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
American Airlines JFK flight delayed after passenger tries to breach cockpit
A woman sparked chaos on board an American Airlines flight to New York after she attempted to storm the cockpit to confront the pilots over a delay. The incident, which unfolded on Thursday, was captured in a dramatic video posted to social media. The footage shows the woman surrounded by flight attendants as the cockpit door opens. Moments later, a male flight attendant tackles the woman to the ground, preventing her from entering the cockpit. According to aviation magazine Aeroin, the woman lashed out, reportedly threatening to "kick the flight attendants in the balls" during the scuffle. At least two passengers were removed from the flight following the disturbance. The airline has not commented on whether charges will be filed, but the incident raises fresh concerns over rising cases of passenger disruption aboard commercial flights. The situation on board the American Airlines flight quickly escalated when a man seated in first class stood up barefoot and began yelling at flight attendants in Portuguese, according to reports. As crew members continued trying to calm the original female passenger, she too began shouting again, demanding to know the cause of the delay, Aeroin reported. While being escorted toward the back of the plane, the woman engaged in a heated shouting match with the barefoot man. "You son of a b**ch, disgusting, you can't touch me, you don't know who you're talking to, you're going to get screwed. I went to ask why I was late and this [man] threw me out," she shouted, according to the publication. Another male flight attendant attempted to defuse the confrontation, and the male passenger was later removed from the aircraft, Aeroin confirmed. The flight, which had already been delayed, was forced to return to the gate as crew dealt with the double disturbance. The commotion onboard led to even further delays, as the aircraft was forced to taxi back to the gate in order to remove the disruptive passengers. According to aviation outlet Aeroin, the flight from São Paulo to New York City eventually took off two hours and 25 minutes later than its scheduled departure. In a statement, American Airlines confirmed that the plane returned to the gate and said: "The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority and we thank everyone for their understanding." This incident follows another alarming case earlier this month, when a father threw himself at a flight attendant in an attempt to force entry into the cockpit on an American Airlines flight from New York to Milan. Passenger Krystie Tomlinson told CBS News: "The whole thing started because of a meal choice they didn't get." She explained that the passenger had requested a specific meal in advance and also wanted to sit in the exit row because he had a baby with him. These back-to-back incidents have raised further concerns about passenger behaviour and safety protocols on long-haul international flights. A witness said the passenger snapped after two key demands were rejected — a specific meal and a seat in the exit row. 'Those two things are what pushed the person over the edge,' the witness explained. Another passenger, Michael Scigliano, said the situation became even more alarming due to the absence of an air marshal on the flight. He described the atmosphere after the pilot announced the aircraft would be turning around, saying. 'We're left with this crazy man in the plane, unprotected and unrestrained.' The flight eventually returned to JFK Airport, where the disruptive passenger was removed. No criminal charges were reported.
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Daily Mail
American Airlines flight descends into chaos as nightmare passenger tries to barge into cockpit
At least two people were removed from an American Airlines flight to New York after a woman attempted to breach the cockpit to question the pilots over a delay. A video posted to social media showed a woman surrounded by flight attendants as a pilot opened the door to the cockpit on Thursday. Seconds later a male flight attendant takes the woman to the ground to avoid her overtaking the cockpit, leading her to threaten to kick the flight attendants 'in the balls,' according to a report in Aeroin, a flight magazine. A man in one of the first-class seats stands up barefoot and begins yelling at the flight attendants in Portuguese. The woman begins yelling again as two crew members keep her contained, saying that they wanted to know the reason for the delay, the publication said. As she is escorted toward the back of the plane she engages in a shouting match with the other passenger. 'You son of a b**ch, disgusting, you can't touch me, you don't know who you're talking to, you're going to get screwed. I went to ask why I was late and this [man] threw me out,' she yelled, according to the publication. Another male flight attendant stopped to try and calm down the male passenger, who was later escorted off the plane, according to Aeroin. Seconds later a male flight attendant takes the woman to the ground to avoid her overtaking the cockpit, leading her tothreaten to kick the flight attendants 'in the balls' Due to the commotion the flight was delayed even longer as it had to taxi back to the gate to remove the passengers. The flight from Sao Paulo to New York City eventually took off two hours and 25 minutes later than its departure time, Aeroin said. American confirmed the plane returned to the gate. 'The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority and we thank everyone for their understanding,' it said. It comes after a father threw himself at a hostess in an attempt to force his way into the cockpit on an American Airlines flight from NYC to Milan earlier this month. Krystie Tomlinson, a passenger on the flight, told CBS News: 'The whole thing started because of a meal choice they didn't get.' She said it appeared the passenger had asked for a specific meal 'ahead of time', and also wanted to sit in the exit row because he had a baby with him. When his demands were rejected, the witness said 'those two things are what pushed the person over the edge.' Another passenger, Michael Scigliano, said the chaos on board was made worse by the fact there was no air marshal on board. He said after the pilot announced he was turning the plane around, passengers were left with 'this crazy man' in the plane 'unprotected and unrestrained.'
The Independent
11-04-2025
- The Independent
American Airlines didn't have a passenger's meal choice. So he barged into the cockpit
Passengers were left terrified when their American Airlines flight from JFK to Milan was forced to turn back while they were over the Atlantic because of an 'unruly passenger.' According to those on board, the man was originally upset that he couldn't sit in an exit row with a baby, reports CBS New York. He then became angrier when his meal choice wasn't available. The man later charged at air hostesses and, at one point, ran through the cabin and attempted to 'barge into the pilot's cabin.' Flight 198 left New York City around 7 p.m. Monday. Four hours later, it turned around and headed back to the terminal. 'We kind of noticed a scuffle in the back. They were asking around if there were any police officers or Army members, or somebody who could help because there were no air marshals on,' passenger Krystie Tomlinson told CBS. ' There was apparently somebody in the back; he was charging at the stewardesses. At some point, he charged past all of our seats and tried to barge into the pilot's cabin.' 'Apparently, the whole thing started because of a meal choice they didn't get. I guess they asked for it ahead of time. They never got exactly what they wanted. They also wanted to sit in an exit row. They had a baby with them, so they told them they couldn't, and apparently those two things are what pushed the person over the edge,' Tomlinson said. ' They were telling everyone that there were technical issues on the plane, which is even scarier,' another passenger, Michael Scigliano, said. 'The guy was still in the back of the plane unprotected, unrestrained, which was a little bit scary considering we had a plane full of 300 people and there was no air marshal on board, and we've got this crazy man in the back,' he added. The flight landed safely back at JFK around 3 a.m. local time. The passengers then waited tensely for the man to be brought off the plane. Scigliano said that despite the ordeal, the airline did not offer them anything. This was echoed by Tomlinson, who said that she was told she would need to pay $79 if she wanted to use the AA lounge to breastfeed. There were nearly 2,000 incidents of unruly passengers on flights in 2024, according to the FAA.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
American Airlines Flight Diverted Due to Passenger's Tantrum
An American Airlines flight was diverted due to a disruptive passenger's tantrum over the in-flight food service, CBS News reported. The wild incident occurred in the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 8, during an international flight from New York City to Milan, Italy. AA Flight 198 departed John F. Kennedy Airport at about 7 p.m. local time on Monday. Roughly four hours into the eight-hour flight, an announcement was made that the plane would be returning to New York City. The diversion was allegedly due to an outburst from one passenger because he didn't get the meal he had reserved. There was also apparently some issue because this passenger wanted to sit in an emergency exit row with his infant child and was told this was not allowed due to airline on board recalled 'notic[ing] a scuffle in the back' of the aircraft before an announcement was made. 'They were asking around if there were any police officers or Army members, or somebody who could help because there were no air marshals on," passenger Krystie Tomlinson told CBS, adding that the passenger 'was charging at the stewardesses.' Tomlinson continued: 'At some point, he charged past all of our seats and tried to barge into the pilot's cabin. Apparently, the whole thing started because of a meal choice they didn't get. I guess they asked for it ahead of time. They never got exactly what they wanted. They also wanted to sit in an exit row. They had a baby with them, so they told them they couldn't and apparently those two things are what pushed the person over the edge. "The guy was still in the back of the plane unprotected, unrestrained, which was a little bit scary considering we had a plane full of 300 people and there was no air marshal on board, and we've got this crazy man in the back," fellow passenger Michael Scigliano reported. He claimed the airline was 'telling everyone that there were technical issues on the plane, which is even scarier.'Tomlinson alleged that American Airlines didn't accommodate any of the affected passengers, who stayed overnight at the airport and were not given complimentary access to the airline's lounge. "I asked to use the American Airlines lounge to breastfeed and change. They said you can go in if you pay $79,' Tomlinson said. 'The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority and we expect our customers to comply with federal regulations to follow crew member instructions,' American Airlines told People in a statement. 'We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans and we thank them for their understanding.' Flight 198 arrived back at JFK around 3:30 a.m. local time. Passengers disembarked and were put on another flight to Milan which departed around 11 a.m., 16 hours after their initial takeoff. According to police sources, the unruly passenger who caused the diversion was released without charges.
The Independent
10-04-2025
- The Independent
American Airlines flight turns back when passenger's meal choice isn't available
Passengers were left terrified when their American Airlines flight from JFK to Milan was forced to turn back while they were over the Atlantic because of an 'unruly passenger.' According to those on board, the man was originally upset that he couldn't sit in an exit row with a baby, reports CBS New York. He then became angrier when his meal choice wasn't available. The man later charged at air hostesses and, at one point, ran through the cabin and attempted to 'barge into the pilot's cabin.' Flight 198 left New York City around 7 p.m. Monday. Four hours later, it turned around and headed back to the terminal. 'We kind of noticed a scuffle in the back. They were asking around if there were any police officers or Army members, or somebody who could help because there were no air marshals on,' passenger Krystie Tomlinson told CBS . ' There was apparently somebody in the back; he was charging at the stewardesses. At some point, he charged past all of our seats and tried to barge into the pilot's cabin.' Despite the ordeal, passengers say American Airlines did not offer them anything (Getty/iStock) 'Apparently, the whole thing started because of a meal choice they didn't get. I guess they asked for it ahead of time. They never got exactly what they wanted. They also wanted to sit in an exit row. They had a baby with them, so they told them they couldn't, and apparently those two things are what pushed the person over the edge,' Tomlinson said. ' They were telling everyone that there were technical issues on the plane, which is even scarier,' another passenger, Michael Scigliano, said. 'The guy was still in the back of the plane unprotected, unrestrained, which was a little bit scary considering we had a plane full of 300 people and there was no air marshal on board, and we've got this crazy man in the back,' he added. The flight landed safely back at JFK around 3 a.m. local time. The passengers then waited tensely for the man to be brought off the plane. Scigliano said that despite the ordeal, the airline did not offer them anything. This was echoed by Tomlinson, who said that she was told she would need to pay $79 if she wanted to use the AA lounge to breastfeed. There were nearly 2,000 incidents of unruly passengers on flights in 2024, according to the FAA. The Independent has reached out to American Airlines for comment.
