Alaska Air flight diverts after unruly flier threatens crew
An Alaska Airlines flight from Boston to San Diego diverted to Denver after an unruly flier became abusive toward attendants and fellow passengers, according to the carrier and local media reports.
The passenger – who was intoxicated, according to eye-witness accounts from fellow passengers – apparently became upset when flight attendants attempted to keep him from drinking more on the Tuesday evening flight.
Passenger Clair Conroy told NBC News the man "was upset the flight attendants would not let him drink the nips [small bottles of alcohol] he brought on" to the Boeing 737 operating Alaska Airlines Flight 769.
"He was told to calm down by flight crew, and then became agitated and verbally abusive, even issuing a threat to flight crew," Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Ann Zaninovich said to NBC News.
Conroy, the passenger, told NBC News that the man became “very belligerent” and “started making threats at the passengers.”
The flight diverted to Denver, where passengers cheered as the man was led off the plane, as seen in a video posted online by one of the flight’s passengers.
"It was a little unnerving at first, because he started yelling, 'We're all going to die. You're all going to die.' But then we realized he was just a really drunk guy who was just out of control," Conroy added to ABC 7 of Denver.
It was not immediately clear what charges the man might face from the incident.
Flight 769 continued on to San Diego after a delay of about 45 minutes on the ground in Denver, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.