Unruly passenger opens emergency exit
An unruly passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight caused a commotion after opening an emergency exit door and climbing onto the plane’s wing.
It took place Sunday while the jet was at the gate at New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport.
Police responded to the incident and detained him on the tarmac.
The unruly passenger was initially subdued by airport ground staff.
When approached by officers, the 38-year-old man was ‘incoherent and not fully aware of his surroundings.’
He was ‘transported to a local hospital for evaluation as the deputies believed he was suffering from a mental health emergency,’ the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said.
According to one witness on the plane, the incident may have been triggered by an argument with another passenger.
“We commend our flight and ground crews for their swift action and apologize to our customers for their inconvenience,” Southwest Airlines said.
It led to passengers being reaccommodated on another plane causing a two-hour delay.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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