American Airlines Customer Allegedly Punches Flight Attendant, Removed from Plane

An American Airlines passenger was arrested and removed from a flight after allegedly punching a flight attendant.

An irate American Airlines customer went viral after allegedly punching a flight attendant, leading to his arrest and removal from the flight.

The incident occurred on a flight from Los Angeles to Charlotte, North Carolina. According to the flight attendant, the passenger became agitated and verbally abusive after being asked to stow his carry-on luggage.

American Airlines Customer Allegedly Punches Flight Attendant, Removed from Plane

The passenger allegedly ignored the flight attendant's instructions and continued to argue with her, prompting her to call for assistance from other crew members. When the crew approached the passenger, he allegedly became physically aggressive and struck one of the flight attendants in the face.

The crew members immediately restrained the passenger, who continued to resist their efforts to detain him. The plane was diverted to Dallas, Texas, where the passenger was arrested by local authorities.

American Airlines Customer Allegedly Punches Flight Attendant, Removed from Plane

The flight attendant who was allegedly punched was treated for minor injuries. The passenger was charged with assault, interfering with a flight crew, and disorderly conduct.

The incident has sparked outrage on social media, with many condemning the passenger's alleged behavior and expressing support for the flight attendant.

American Airlines Customer Allegedly Punches Flight Attendant, Removed from Plane

American Airlines released a statement condemning the incident and stating that it has a zero-tolerance policy for violence against its employees. The airline said it is cooperating with law enforcement and will take appropriate action against the passenger.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also investigating the incident. The FAA has seen a significant increase in unruly passenger incidents in recent years, leading to stricter enforcement of regulations and increased penalties for those who violate them.

American Airlines Customer Allegedly Punches Flight Attendant, Removed from Plane

In a separate incident, an off-duty flight attendant for ITA Airways died after boarding a flight that was set to take off for Rome, Italy.

Gabriella Cario, identified by the Manchester Evening News as a 57-year-old mother of three, passed away on Saturday after she got onboard ITA Airways Flight 1156 at the Reggio Calabria Airport outside of Naples.

The airline said in a statement that Cario was returning home as a passenger and died on the plane before the flight from Reggio Calabria to Rome took off.

Efforts by paramedics to revive Cario were unsuccessful, and all passengers on the plane were forced to disembark. Her exact cause of death was not immediately clear.

The ITA Airways plane that Cario reportedly boarded was heading from Naples to Rome, Italy. Data from the website FlightAware shows that the plane, which normally departs in the late afternoon, didn't take off from Naples until after 9 p.m. local time on Saturday night.

ITA Airways is based out of Rome, Italy, and operates flights to destinations throughout Europe and beyond.