An American Airlines passenger who kicked and spit on flight attendants and passengers and tried to open the cabin door before being taped to a seat has been sued by the Federal Aviation Administration for $81,950, the most ever from the agency imposed fine for unruly behavior.
The passenger, Heather Wells, 34, of San Antonio, was traveling first class from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 7, 2021. About an hour into the flight, she ordered a whiskey, became agitated and said she wanted to “get off” the plane, according to a lawsuit filed June 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas .
Ms. Wells began running to the back of the plane, where she fell to her knees in the aisle and began “having incoherent conversations with passengers before crawling back to the main cabin,” the lawsuit says.
When a flight attendant responded, Ms. Wells “became verbally aggressive and told the flight attendant that she would ‘hurt’ him if he didn’t get out of her way,” the court document says.
She then pushed him and walked to the front of the plane, where she “lunged at the cabin door and tried to grab it,” “all the while screaming and yelling profanities.”
At that time, two flight attendants and a passenger attempted to physically restrain Ms. Wells, causing one of the flight attendants to strike her in the head several times, the lawsuit says.
They were able to restrain her with tape and flexible cuffs and place her on a seat. But she “continued to kick, spit, and attempt to bite and head-butt,” which “required” Ms. Wells to be further restrained with duct tape, including around her mouth, the lawsuit says.
The captain concluded that landing in Charlotte was the quickest solution, and law enforcement officers waited for the plane to arrive, according to the lawsuit.
As officers boarded, Ms Wells continued to behave violently and broke the seat in front of her before being removed from the plane with sedatives.
Ms. Wells told KENS 5 in San Antonio that she has mental health issues and apologized in a statement.
“I know it wasn’t rational and I wasn’t actually exposed to any external danger, but at the time I was truly afraid for my life,” the statement said. “Words cannot express how sorry I am for the fear I have caused and the people I have hurt.”
Ms. Wells, who could not be reached for comment, told the news station that she was held at a hospital for observation after being removed from the plane and that she does not have a lawyer.
No attorney was listed in court documents and American Airlines did not respond to a request for comment Saturday. It was unclear whether Ms. Wells was ever formally charged.
According to the lawsuit, Ms. Wells must pay a civil penalty of $45,000 for her violent behavior toward the crew and passengers; $27,950 for attempting to open the cabin door; and $9,000 for interfering with the performance of crew members’ duties, for a total of $81,950.
The fines were proposed by the FAA in 2022, after which Ms. Wells was given 30 days to respond.
They followed a comprehensive zero-tolerance policy designed to combat increasing reports of aggressive behavior by passengers.
According to the FAA, these incidents have decreased significantly: There were nearly 6,000 reports of unruly passengers in 2021, just 2,455 in 2022, and just 2,075 in 2023. 885 cases have been reported so far this year.
But in a statement this week, the agency warned against bad behavior as summer travel begins.
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2024-06-16 03:02:25
www.nytimes.com
