A woman from Lebanon, Tennessee is facing federal charges after she disrupted flight attendants onboard Spirit Airlines over Thanksgiving weekend, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Tuesday.
Amanda Renee Henry on a flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Nashville appeared intoxicated and became disruptive, according to the DOJ press release.
Authorities said that passengers seated next to Henry asked flight attendants to move seats due to her behavior, but since she was sitting next to an emergency exit, attendants decided to move her for the safety of everyone on the plane.
When asked to move from her seat, the DOJ said Henry “grabbed her carry-on bag and ran toward the front of the aircraft screaming, “I’m getting off this plane.” Another flight attendant blocked Henry from getting to the main cabin door and began to restrain her, at which time Henry began to kick and hit the flight attendant.”
Flight attendants restrained Henry and had an off-duty fireman sit with her for the rest of the flight.
“In accordance with the Attorney General’s directive, the prosecution of those who endanger the safety of airline passengers, flight crews, and flight attendants is a priority of this office,” said U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin. “Those whose behavior disrupts or otherwise endangers the safety of persons on aircrafts should expect to face federal charges.”
If convicted of the federal offense, the DOJ said the woman could face as many as 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
As of December 21, FAA reports 5,779 unruly passengers reported on planes in 2021. Also, another 4,156 incidents were related to mask-wearing incidents on planes. Of the cases reported, 325 enforcement cases were initiated.
The aviation agency notes it began keeping track of unruly passenger investigations on airplanes in 1995. From then until 2020, the number of investigation ranged from about 125 to 245 annually. Prior to 2021, the record number of investigations in a single year was 310 in 2004. In 2020, the number of investigations was 183. In 2021, that number skyrocketed to 1,054 investigations – more than the number of investigations from last seven years combined.
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Morgan Nicole Veysey is a reporter for The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Amanda Renee Henry” by the Metro Nashville Police Department. Background Photo “Department of Justice” by Coolcaesar. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Guess I’ve been luck on my recent domestic and international flights: no disruptive passengers; and no major delays. My only concerns were getting my Covid tests developed on time for my flights between here and South America.
Looks like somebody broke that nose before , wonder why? Instead of vaccine mandates to fly maybe alcohol test should be mandatory to check for alcohol consumption prior to boarding . There is a new story everyday like this, really makes you think about flying at all.