There are bad flights, and then there are flights where a passenger ends the evening duct-taped to his seat.
Passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 618 got the latter Thursday night when their Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark flight was diverted to Baltimore after a 67-year-old passenger allegedly went on a racist and homophobic tirade and became violent. The passenger has been identified in reports as Arthur Lundeen of Tucson, Arizona.
According to TMZ and passenger accounts, the trouble started when Lundeen began yelling at the man seated next to him. Things apparently went downhill quickly from there. He allegedly started shouting about Jesus and people going to hell, along with a string of profanities.
When a Black flight attendant tried to calm him down, Lundeen allegedly directed the N-word at her. He was also accused of making homophobic remarks. Then things got physical.
Lundeen allegedly grabbed or struck the passenger sitting beside him and hit the man’s computer. A female passenger who tried to help was reportedly pushed, which brought several other passengers into the situation. Eventually, enough was enough.
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Flight attendants provided zip ties and duct tape (another use for gaffer tape!) to help restrain Lundeen, according to reports. Video (embedded above) from the flight shows several people working to keep him in his seat, while photos show just how much tape was ultimately involved. It was a lot.
Witness Michelle Ng-Reyes told NBC New York that Lundeen was “thrashing around” as people attempted to restrain him. She also said there was concern he might try to make his way toward the cockpit.
The pilots diverted the aircraft to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where law enforcement was waiting. Maryland Transportation Authority Police boarded the aircraft and took Lundeen into custody.
Reports say he was charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct and later released on bond. The FBI has also been gathering information about what happened onboard and consulting with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland about whether federal charges are warranted.
And while one passenger allegedly caused the problem, everyone onboard got to share in the consequences.
A flight that should have taken roughly three and a half hours reportedly turned into an eight-hour ordeal for passengers because of the diversion and delay. After Lundeen was removed, the aircraft eventually continued to Newark.
American Airlines said it does not tolerate violence and thanked its crew members for their professionalism and passengers for their understanding.
During and shortly after the pandemic, it seemed like there was an unruly passenger on almost every flight. There wasn’t, obviously, but for a while you couldn’t go very long without seeing another video of someone screaming at a flight attendant, fighting with another passenger or getting hauled off an airplane. It definitely seems to have calmed down over the last couple of years.
But apparently not everyone got the memo. If the allegations in this case are accurate, it’s hard to have much sympathy for Lundeen. Flight attendants shouldn’t have to put up with racial slurs, homophobic abuse or violence while trying to do their jobs. Neither should the passenger who happens to have the bad luck of sitting in the next seat.
One flight crew commenter made another good point: incidents like this are a reminder that flight attendants aren’t simply “glorified waitresses.” They’re there first and foremost for safety, and when something goes seriously wrong in the cabin, they’re the ones expected to deal with it.
As for Lundeen, being duct-taped to an airline seat in front of a cabin full of people before being met by police in Baltimore is quite a way to learn that lesson. Hopefully, he and anyone else who thinks behaving this way on an airplane is acceptable remembers it.
And if not, let’s hope American has plenty of duct tape.
