The flight landed about 2:28 p.m. local time in Kansas City, Mo., where it was met by law enforcement officials, the airline said.
Today, we witnessed another dangerous, life-threatening incident on an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles, CA, to Washington, D.C., when a passenger attempted to open the forward passenger door…1/3
— Association of Professional Flight Attendants (@APFAunity) February 13, 2022
A map of the jet’s flight path shows it moving sharply toward Kansas City halfway through its cross-country flight, according to data from the tracking site FlightAware.
The FBI’s Kansas City office said in a statement that one person was taken into custody, but it offered no additional details.
“We’re grateful to our crew members, who are consistently dedicated to the safety and care of our customers and who handled the circumstances with the utmost skill and professionalism,” the airline said.
A few hours later, a second American Airlines flight that left Phoenix bound for Honolulu was forced to turn back after what the airline called a “passenger disruption.”
The flight landed in Phoenix about 6:53 p.m. local time and was met by law enforcement, the airline said.
“We thank and commend our team for all they do each and every day to keep our customers safe as they travel with us,” the airline said in a statement.
Sunday’s two incidents are the latest in a series of disruptions that led Delta Air Lines chief executive Ed Bastian to call for the establishment of a “no-fly” list for travelers who misbehave.
The number of passengers who refuse to follow crew member instructions has risen dramatically during the pandemic. Many cases involve passengers who refused to follow requirements that they wear masks during flights. While the numbers have fallen in recent months, they remain a concern for unions representing flight attendants, pilots, gate agents and other airline employees.
According to the most recent statistics provided by the Federal Aviation Administration, there have been nearly 400 reports of unruly passenger behavior this year, 255 of which were related to the federal mask mandate. For the week ending Jan. 30, the FAA reported 6.2 incidents of unruly behavior per 10,000 flights.
In 2021, nearly 6,000 incidents of unruly passenger behavior were reported. While the agency has proposed more than $1 million in fines, it can take months or years for cases to be resolved.