An American Airlines flight was forced to U-turn four hours into its journey after an entitled father caused a scene over where he was sitting and what he was fed.
The incident unfolded Monday on a flight from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to Milan, Italy, as passengers said the man sparked a commotion as the jet was over the Atlantic Ocean.
The man, who has not been named, reportedly threw himself at an air hostess and attempted to force his way into the cockpit.
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’.
An American Airlines flight was forced to U-turn four hours into its journey from JFK in New York to Milan after an unruly passenger caused a scene over a wrong meal on Monday
The man (pictured), who has not been named, reportedly flung himself at an air hostess and tried to enter the cockpit during the chaotic scenes
Scigliano added that passengers on board the jet were also confused because the pilot only said the plane was reversing due to a technical issue.
‘Which is even scarier,’ he said.
Tomlinson said when the passenger was losing his temper, others on board ‘were asking around if there were any police officers or Army members, or somebody who could help because there were no air marshals on’.
The flight left around 7pm, and after the unruly passenger forced the U-turn, those on board found themselves back at JFK Airport at 3am.
Despite the vacation-ruining incident, Scigliano said American Airlines ‘offered us nothing’ once passengers returned to the airport.
‘I asked to use the American Airlines lounge to breastfeed and change – they said you can go in if you pay $79,’ he added.
American Airlines rescheduled the full flight for Tuesday morning, 16 hours after their original departure time, according to the Daily Beast.
The flight left around 7pm on Monday to Milan, and after the unruly passenger forced the U-turn, those on board found themselves back at JFK Airport at 3am
Krystie Tomlinson, a passenger on the flight, said the ‘whole thing started because of a meal choice they didn’t get’ before it escalated
Aviation trial attorney Robert Clifford told the outlet that the pilot’s decision to turn the plane around could have been out of his hands, and would have done what he thought was ‘best.’
‘We don’t know all the things that the pilot knows,’ he said.
According to a police source who spoke to CBS News, the unnamed passenger who caused the scene was released without facing any charges.
American Airlines said in a statement: ‘American Airlines flight 198 with service from New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP) returned to JFK due to a disruptive passenger.
‘The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we thank our customers for their understanding.’
