Plane delayed by disruptive flight attendant
Passengers on the Dallas-to-chicago flight say she ranted over the intercom.
An American Airlines flight attendant disrupted a flight Friday morning as it was about to take off from Dallas-fort Worth en route to Chicago, saying over the intercom system that the plane was going to crash, alluding to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and ranting about the airline’s bankruptcy reorganization, passengers said.
Passengers helped restrain the flight attendant in the plane’s cabin until airport police arrived.
Two flight attendants were injured and were taken to a hospital. No passengers were injured, and they were never in danger, an airline spokeswoman said.
The flight attendant who caused the commotion continued to scream as she was handcuffed and put into a police car, passengers said as they left the plane at Chicago O’hare International Airport.
“I will never get that sound of her screaming out of my head,” said Bethany Christakos of Plano, Texas. “It took a good 10 minutes, it felt like, to get her off of the plane.”
Other passengers said the incident was defused in about 15 minutes. “We were pretty frightened,” said Greg Lozano of Elmhurst, Ill. “I was glad we weren’t in the air. That was the primary thing I was thinking.”
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed there was an “altercation” involving American Airlines Flight 2332, which landed at Chicago O’hare at 11:46 a.m., more than an hour late.
According to reports by passengers, the trouble began as the plane taxied to the runway for takeoff. A flight attendant who had been giving preflight safety instructions began speaking incoherently over the intercom, confusing and startling passengers.
The attendant said the plane had a mechanical problemand was going to return to the airport gate. Other flight attendants interrupted and said there were no mechanical issues and that the plane was preparing for takeoff.
The upset flight attendant then said over the intercom that it would not be her fault if the plane crashed. She began speaking in incomplete sentences, using the words “bankruptcy” and “American Airlines,” passengers said. She also referred to the Sept. 11attacks, passengers said.
Some passengers called 911.
Other flight attendants attempted to calm the woman, but she remained agitated. Three or four passengers helped restrain her as the plane returned to the gate, a move requested by the pilot, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed.
“Our customers were not in danger at any time,” an American Airlines spokeswoman said, adding that the company was investigating the incident. “We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers, and we appreciate their patience and understanding.”
American Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on Nov. 29 but has continued flying, as many airlines have during their reorganizations.