American Airlines announced on Saturday the extension of its ban on alcohol service for its passengers after a viral video showed a violent altercation between a woman and a Southwest flight attendant earlier in the week.
The temporary liquor suspension will last until September for crew passengers, though those in first and business class will be able to enjoy a drink on board, according to an internal memo obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“Flight attendants are on the front lines every day not only ensuring our customers’ safety, but are also calming fears, answering questions, and enforcing policies like federally-required face masks,” the memo read. “Over the past week we’ve seen some of these stressors create deeply disturbing situations on board aircraft.”
WOMAN FACING BATTERY CHARGE FOR ALLEGED ASSAULT AGAINST SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANT
“Over the past week we’ve seen some of these stressors create deeply disturbing situations on board aircraft,” it continued. “Let me be clear: American Airlines will not tolerate assault or mistreatment of our crews.”
The decision came one day after Southwest Airlines issued a lifetime ban on passenger Vyvianna Quinonez, 28, who was charged with battery after she allegedly pummeled a flight attendant and knocked out two of her teeth on Tuesday. The purported attack occurred on a plane from Sacramento to San Diego.
“The passenger ignored the flight crew’s instructions and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing,” a spokesperson for the airline told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “Law enforcement officials were requested to meet the flight upon arrival, and the passenger was taken into custody.”
In January, the Federal Aviation Administration adopted a stricter approach to unruly passengers in response to an uptick of reports. The agency opted to forgo its practice of issuing warnings and counseling and has instead resorted to pursuing “legal enforcement action against any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crew members.”
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“The FAA has seen a disturbing increase in incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior,” it wrote at the time. “These incidents have stemmed both from passengers’ refusals to wear masks and from recent violence at the U.S. Capitol.”
Last Monday, the FAA announced more than $60,000 in fines for unruly passengers since the start of the year. A total of five passengers were penalized for fighting, failing to comply with a mask mandate, yelling obscenities, drinking their own alcohol, and shoving a flight attendant.
