MIAMI — We have seen a series of meltdowns at Florida airports in the past few months, but the latest at Miami International got physical. The confrontation happened Friday night at the American Airlines gate.
In videos captured by passers-by and posted on Only in Dade, a man can be seen throwing punches, tossing stanchions, kicking over a wet-floor caution sign and screaming threats and insults.
As the mask-free man rages on, airline employees can be seen trying to calm him down.
“Wow. Where’s the police?” a fellow traveler says off camera.
The would-be passenger in the video was not arrested nor identified. Miami-Dade police say he was a “veteran in crisis” who had been denied access to his flight, which enraged him. He was taken to a hospital for an evaluation after the incident and will not face criminal charges.
Miami Polcie Chief Art Acevedo posted on Twitter: “Mental health is a serious issue impacting many.” His department does not have airport jurisdiction.
In a statement sent to the Miami Herald, an American Airlines spokeswoman shed more light on what led up to the man’s actions.
“Prior to boarding American Airlines Flight 38 with service from Miami (MIA) to London (LHR), a customer was denied boarding due to reported harmful behavior toward another individual as well as suspected intoxication at the departure gate,” it said. “Following this decision, the customer became aggressive toward several team members and attempted to assault one. Law enforcement was requested.”
The statement concluded by thanking the Miami team on the ground for their professionalism and saying, “When traveling with us, we expect all customers to follow our policies and we will not tolerate violence of any kind toward our team members.”
The man has been placed on an internal no-fly list, pending investigation, the spokeswoman added.
Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration released a public service announcement due to the spike in incidents involving unruly passengers.
There have been 3,988 incidents reported just in 2021, most of which involve wearing a mask. The majority of others involve travelers drinking alcohol illegally brought on board. Some out-of-control travelers have even been taped to their seats by desperate flight attendants. In all, 34 passengers accused of disruptive behavior are facing more than $500,000 in fines.
The FAA announcement includes recordings of disturbances, with screams and sounds of people fighting.
“You don’t want your pilots distracted,” it says. “Unruly behavior doesn’t fly.”
