Out-of-control passenger bound and gagged in-flight
The Internet was abuzz this weekend with viral photos of a drunk and disorderly passenger bound and gagged with duct tape.
The photos went viral after Andy Ellwood, a NY-based entrepreneur, published an anonymous friend’s photos of Gudmundur Karl Arthorsson, a 48-year-old engineer, tied up by Icelandair crew on a flight on Thursday from Reykjavik to JFK in New York.
Ellwood’s Twitter account read, "You know that annoying guy who drinks too much on flights? Hog tied by fellow passengers today."
Fellow passengers said Arthorsson had been drinking duty free liquor on board the flight and began attacking and verbally abusing fellow passengers, even raving that the flight was going to crash.
Icelandair crew restrained the man with plastic ties and with yards of duct tape, even going so far as to gag him with the tape (apparently so that he could not talk about the plane crashing).
A passenger passed on photos of the restrained passenger to Ellwood who told the NY Post that his friend told him Arthorsson had drunk from full-sized duty free liquor as well as from mini bottles stashed in his back-seat pocket.
Icelandair told CNN and other news sources that, "To ensure the safety of those who were on board, he was restrained by the crew and passengers and then was monitored for the duration of the flight for his own safety."
They also said that duct tape and plastic ties were standard issue on board their airline for such purposes. CNN’s report quoted an unnamed "official familiar with airline security" as saying standard restraining protocol on US flights is flexi cuffs or tough cuffs rather than duct tape.
The Daily Mail reports that upon landing, police took Arthorsson into custody and brought him to a local hospital to be checked for alcohol poisoning. He was not charged with any offense because fellow passengers declined to speak with authorities.
Gretchen Kelly–TravelMole US/North America
Gretchen Kelly
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