Frontier Airlines passenger taped to seat after allegedly groping, attacking flight attendants

A Frontier Airways passenger was taped to his seat after he allegedly groped two flight attendants and punched one other within the face on a Miami-bound flight from Philadelphia final week, in line with a police report.

The passenger, 22-year-old Maxwell Berry of Norwalk, Ohio, had completed two drinks and was ordering one other when he allegedly brushed his empty cup in opposition to a flight attendant’s “again facet inappropriately,” stated the Miami-Dade Police Division report concerning the July 31 flight. Berry later allegedly groped the breasts of two flight attendants, who requested a 3rd cabin crew member for assist, the report stated. Berry then allegedly punched that flight attendant within the face “with a closed fist.”

“A struggle ensued,” stated the report. The third flight attendant and “close by passengers” restrained Berry “and needed to tape him all the way down to the seat and tie him with a seatbelt extender” for the remainder of the flight, the police report stated. Berry was arrested at Miami Worldwide Airport.

The incident marks the most recent report of unruly and bodily violent habits of passengers on planes in latest months. The Federal Aviation Administration stated it has obtained 3,715 experiences of unruly habits by passengers because the begin of the 12 months, near 75% of them associated to passengers who refuse adjust to the federal masks mandate.

The FAA is receiving about 100 experiences every week, a fee that has been regular over the previous a number of weeks, in line with an individual conversant in the matter.

Incidents of violence and the uptick in unruly passenger experiences have alarmed flight attendant labor unions, who’ve requested airways and federal prosecutors to do extra to cease the habits.

A survey by the Affiliation of Flight Attendants-CWA revealed final week stated that 84% of cabin crew members have handled unruly vacationers this 12 months and that 17% have skilled a bodily incident.

“The state of affairs on Frontier this weekend is among the worst examples,” stated AFA Worldwide President Sara Nelson in a written assertion. “When he refused to conform after a number of makes an attempt to de-escalate, the crew was compelled to restrain the passenger with the instruments accessible to them onboard. We’re supporting the crew.”

Frontier stated the crew members who labored the Saturday flight are on paid depart pending an investigation

“Frontier Airways maintains the utmost worth, respect, concern and help for all of our flight attendants, together with those that had been assaulted on this flight,” the service stated in an announcement.