The first week of 2013 has left multiple reports involving drunken, violently disruptive passengers on airliners, plus one non-violent but legally drunk American Eagle pilot. In American Eagle’s case, witnesses reportedly smelled alcohol on the pilot’s breath prior to the 6:10 a.m. flight, Friday. Police arrived and, according to an airport spokesman, the pilot failed a breath test. American Eagle has removed the pilot from line work while it investigates. Several alcohol-related events involving passengers led to diverted flights. They included two women who reportedly demanded to meet their flight’s captain and a man who was ultimately duct-taped to his seat by other passengers.
Earlier this week, a British Airways flight out of London for Tunis diverted to Lyon, France, after two apparently intoxicated women reportedly swore at children, smoked in the lavatory, threatened a flight attendant and demanded to meet the flight’s captain. The women were taken into custody by police in Lyon. Also in the first week of the new year, passengers on an IcelandAir flight out of Iceland for JFK elected to duct-tape and zip-tie a man to a seat rather than suffer his unconstrained company. The man reportedly attacked a woman and screamed that the plane would crash before fellow passengers took action. The man remained bound and gagged for the remainder of the flight, which continued to JFK. According to a fellow passenger, the man had consumed liquor while on the flight. The man was arrested by police upon landing and a Port Authority spokesman later confirmed to news.com.au that the man was taken to a hospital and no charges were filed.
