A passenger pleaded not guilty after becoming belligerent and demanding hugs when flight attendants refused to serve him beer.

Luke Watts of Portland threatened to become violent if flight attendants didn’t serve him a beer during a March flight from Sacramento, California, to Seattle.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Tolkoff says Watts then locked himself in the bathroom and screamed and pounded on the door. He also demanded hugs from flight attendants.

The pilot diverted the flight to Portland, which is where the passenger is from. So – despite an indictment – perhaps this wasn’t a total loss for him.

It wasn’t a total loss for passengers, either, who were only slightly delayed and proactively received $100 travel credits for their trouble.

Of course, passengers demanding hugs is better than threatening the plane with a bomb when flight attendants won’t serve you beer.

It’s not even the first time this year this has happened. It’s not even the first time this year it’s happened on Alaska Airlines. In February an Alaska Airlines passenger screamed ‘We’re all Gonna Die!’ when refused alcohol. In that case the airline treated it as a simple ‘customer service issue’.

Things could have been much worse had the passenger taken matters into their own hands by bringing their own alcohol.

And they do get much worse with Alaska and alcohol, given their recent drunk pilot and their drunk flight attendant.

(HT: Ken A.)