United flight attendants in mid-air cat fight

They are supposed to be the last line of defense between order and chaos in flight, but sometimes flight attendants cause the chaos themselves.

Two flight attendants on United's flight 1214, a Boeing 737-800 headed to Chicago from Raleigh-Durham International Airport Wednesday got into a brawl so bad, the pilot took the flight back to the airport and law enforcement officials were called to the plane.

The Raleigh-Durham News and Observer reports that no arrests were made after it was determined that there had been no physical assault.

The two had been in a prior altercation and the accidental brush of a leg while the attendants were seated near each other (presumably on takeoff) was the start of the incident.

Last week, two flight attendants on an American Eagle flight from New York to Washington got in a similar fight. The plane was brought back to the gate and passengers had to wait four hours for a replacement crew to be brought in.

Although some reports on that incident mentioned American's ongoing labor disputes as the possible cause for heated emotions in flight, the United incident shows that attendants' tempers are flaring in the air on other American carriers, as well.

Thursday, September 27, 2012