Female passenger attacks two flight attendants on Spirit flight, authorities say
A female passenger who attacked two flight attendants on a Spirit Airlines flight had to be retrained with zip-ties by a fellow passenger and was later arrested at the Nashville airport, according to the Nashville Tennessean.
The 42-year-old passenger reportedly punched one flight attendant and pulled another’s hair on a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Nashville on Saturday, the report said. She later yelled at police officers to “shoot me” when they arrested her in Nashville, according to an arrest affidavit.
Details shared in the affidavit included that “she smelled of alcohol, spoke in a slurred manner, and her eyes were bloodshot. She told officers she drank a lot,” the Tennessean added.
The passenger, identified as Amanda Henry, was admitted to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office jail on Saturday night at 8:40 and released on Sunday.
The affidavit said that the flight crew did not want to press charges against the passenger.
“Law enforcement officers met Spirit Airlines flight NK222 after arriving in Nashville from Fort Lauderdale and removed a passenger for unruly behavior. We do not tolerate aggressive behavior of any kind, and this passenger is no longer welcome on any of our flights. Thank you to our Guests who assisted our crew and local law enforcement for their assistance. We will work with the relevant authorities to ensure this individual is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Spirit Airlines told the Tennessean in a statement.
Spirit Airlines did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
The FAA has seen more than 4,600 unruly passenger complaints in 2021, with more than 3,300 related to mask-wearing on flights.
Airline worker advocates have been calling for the creation of government and private no-fly lists for unruly passengers amid an increase in violence against flight crew and staff.
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