Passengers Forced To Take Action on Jetblue Flight After Drunk Flyer Causes Chaos
Unfortunately, stories of passengers behaving very badly on airplanes are nothing new. Every new week, there's a new viral video or crazy story about a passenger making a mountain out of a molehill and flipping out at customers and crew, turning the flight into a nightmare for everyone on board. In most of these stories, though, the other passengers usually do their level best to stay out of the drama as much as possible. This story is one big exception.
Last week on a JetBlue flight from London to New York City, one passenger had a few too many and started up a row. It's the same story we've heard time and time again; only this time, the cabin crew were having trouble restraining the unruly man, which prompted other passengers to step in and help!
According to @abcworldnews, the drunk passenger was wandering the passengers and yelling abuse at the cabin crew. He was clearly a danger to himself and everyone else on the long flight from London to New York City, and eventually flight attendants had to restrain him- only this problem passenger wasn't going down without a fight. Four other passengers jumped in to help, restraining him while the cabin crew eventually wrestled him into a seat. When the JetBlue flight arrived in New York, police took the man into custody.
A video of the incident, uploaded by Instagram user @comedy_hyponist, showed how intensely the man was fighting back. Even with passengers and flight attendants, it took a herculean effort to finally wrestle the out-of-control man into submission. What a scary flight for all the other passengers!
At this point, all of us as air travelers need to collectively learn a lesson from stories like these: don't get blackout drunk on airplanes. Any drunken airplane brawl is one too many, as far as flight safety is concerned. If you can't handle your drink, don't tempt fate!
Should You Step in as a Passenger?
Drunken passenger incidents are regretfully common, but what made this story remarkable was how many of the other passengers stepped in to help. On the surface, it seems like a noble thing to do, helping to protect the flight crew and other passengers from a belligerent, out-of-control aggressor. But is it the right thing to do?
Generally speaking, no- you as a passenger should not try to insert yourself in a conflict between a belligerent passenger and the cabin crew. For one, flight attendants will use de-escalation tactics to try to resolve the situation peacefully before escalating to physical restraint, and other passengers heckling, arguing with, or fighting the problem passenger can ruin a de-escalation attempt. Even if it does get physical, jumping in right away isn't necessarily the best thing to do. You could seriously injure yourself or the other passenger, and there's a chance you could catch a charge if the crew mistakes you for another aggressor or if you interfered with their duties.
But are there exceptions? The Washington Post asked this question in 2022, and they found that the answer was yes- sometimes. The international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Sarah Nelson, told the Washington Post that passengers shouldn't engage unless there is imminent danger of physical harm. She also adds that, in extreme cases, passengers may be directly asked by the crew to intervene. In those instances, passengers should be clear about how they're willing to pitch in and follow directions when given.
While it's impossible to know what happened without seeing the incident from start to finish, it's safe to say that the JetBlue brawl was one of those exceptions. Thank goodness enough passengers were willing to step in and prevent a bad situation from getting worse!
For more WanderWisdom updates, be sure to follow us on Google News!
Have you had a funny, interesting, or just highly memorable experience while traveling? We'd love for you to submit a video of your travels for a chance to be featured on WanderWisdom and our social channels! Click here to upload your clip and share your adventures with the world.
