Chris Lange, FISM News
Southwest Airlines has confirmed that one of its employees was briefly hospitalized following a physical assault by an unruly passenger. According to an Axios report, a female operations agent was allegedly “verbally and physically” assaulted by a female passenger moments after boarding a flight to New York.
The incident began when a verbal argument ensued between the passenger and a flight attendant who then asked the passenger to disembark. The alleged perpetrator then proceeded toward the front of the plane where she began arguing with the alleged victim, whom she “punched in the head.” Following the incident, the employee was taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated for her injuries and subsequently released, according to a Southwest spokesperson who added that she is currently resting at home. The passenger was charged with aggravated assault and taken into custody by local law enforcement.
“Our entire Southwest family is wishing her a speedy and full recovery as we send our thoughts, prayers and love to her,” Southwest Airlines spokesperson Chris Mainz told USA Today. “Southwest Airlines maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding any type of harassment or assault and fully support our employee as we cooperate with local authorities regarding this unacceptable incident.”
The report highlights a disturbing increase in incidents involving unruly airline passengers since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data. Recently, the FAA began cracking down on passengers interfering with airline personnel, saying that roughly 1,300 such cases were reported in the time period between February and May. Typically, between 100 to 150 incidents occur over the span of an entire year.
In May, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant lost two teeth resulting from an assault by another unruly passenger. Earlier this month, Reuters reported the arrest of an American Airlines passenger for an alleged assault that left a flight attendant bloodied and concussed and forced the pilot to divert the flight.
The FAA recently referred nearly 40 unruly passenger cases to the FBI for criminal investigations into violations of FAA regulations or federal laws.
In a written statement submitted to Axios, another Southwest spokesperson said the airline has “a zero-tolerance policy regarding any type of harassment or assault and fully supports our Employee as we cooperate with local authorities regarding this unacceptable incident.”
FAA regulations state that “no person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember’s duties aboard an aircraft being operated.” According to the organization’s 2018 Reauthorization Act Bill, passengers who violate regulations face potential criminal prosecution and fines of up to $37,000 per violation, noting that one incident can result in “multiple violations.”