Frontier Airlines removed two women from a flight in Orlando because of their intoxicated behavior. They confronted and shoved a gate agent on the way off, causing her to fall, and police were called.
The younger sister told officers she felt sick in the lavatory, admitted to “a couple drinks,” says a male employee touched her chest, and demonstrated what she claims happened by pushing the officer in the chest. She said she “literally” graduates the next day and that she’s a Division III athlete.
As the sisters were leaving, the worker claims, Lyons unleashed a verbal attack on the flight crew and got in her face, saying, “F–k you, you fat bitch.”
“I said, ‘Thank you,’” the victim recalls. “When she was facing me, she pushed me and then turned around, and then the sister came up and shoved me again,” adding that it caused her to trip over something on the floor.
Police handcuff the younger sister. The older sister yells “you’re not handcuffing my sister,” tries to intercede, and gets restrained and cuffed as well. In the patrol car, she keeps insisting she’s not a criminal and shouldn’t be cuffed.
They cite anxiety as an excuse, but it really isn’t one, and dropping that a brother and an uncle are police officers didn’t help get out of trouble here.
This all happened back on May 15 on a flight headed to Trenton, but body cam footage was just released. Kiera Lyons (22) and Maura Flores (31) of Manahawkin, New Jersey faced charges of first degree battery and second degree disorderly intoxication. They took a pre-trial intervention.
While the woman were clearly at fault, I do think airlines are failing to police passenger intoxication at the boarding gate in their drive to both (1) reduce staffing costs, without enough bodies working as gate agents, and (2) push planes on time, ignoring inebriated customers. That combines into a failure to adhere to 14 CFR §121.575(c). Carriers may not allow a visibly intoxicated person to board.
And the passengers get away with light sentences because the assault happened off the aircraft, on a gate agent rather than a flight attendant. Those are treated very differently. Here we get state misdemeanors rather than federal charges.
I had to deny boarding to a drunk lady once. Not my favorite day at work.
Orlando airport flying to Trenton and living in Manahawkin. This stuff literally writes itself.
Oh goodie, another one! And a video this time. Oh lala. For those that need to hear this, please recall the misbehavior is the problem, not the background of the individuals.
@Parker and it’s Frontier Airlines
Took my first Frontier flight today. Seemed like a normal cross section of society, maybe similar to a Southwest flight as I did not see anyone that appeared to be a business traveler.
Thankfully no drunks at 6am
@Boraxo — These incidents are thankfully quite rare; but, ya know, smartphones, internet, outrage, etc.
2 drunk women and a protective relative vs a bunch of sober FAs and ground crew… I wonder who I would believe if I were a cop….
we are doomed as a society once these people (hopefully) become adults and start getting in positions of power.
Makes me wonder if they’re working on tech that detects inebriation. You walk up, facial rec verifies who you are and looks for pysical characteristics of intoxication.
@haolenate — Uh, not sure where you’re based, but… ‘once’? *gestures broadly* …this is a metaphor for the USA’s current leadership, right now.
No Fly List
@Gary — You sound like the Earl of Lemongrab… “UNACCEPTABLE!” ….”One million years dungeon!”
I saw this video. These individuals are a new class of Cluster B personalities, “Prole Drift.” Someone from their law enforcement family should have explained the consequences of shoving a cop.
The parents called and want their tuition money back.
Mr. Romey: “Prole” anything is a CLASS issue, not a cluster b issue.
According to Fussell.
@WearyWatchdog — Good point. And, unfortunately for these alleged perpetrators, if they end up on the no-fly-list or banned by their preferred airlines, because of this incident, even if temporarily, then they may need to consider taking the ‘chariot of the proletariat,’ otherwise known as ‘the bus.’ Thank you for the reminder about class consciousness. (*The more you know*)
Can’t blame gate agents. Almost zero engagement anymore with app check in and gate boarding. Just a quick glance ID check that can be easily done while intoxicated with no suspicion. Add a pill or another single onboard drink or a cool air vent above and disaster strikes.
Are you advocating sobriety checks or breathalysers for all at the gate?
Blame life today in America, not your gate agent.
is it just me or a lot of things are happening around Frontier flights lately ?
@McCaron — It’s just you. Plenty of misbehaving on other carriers.
@GullAirACK — People misbehave all around the world; not just a US-thing.
Cops aren’t proletarians. Cops are lumpenprole, the class that will famously trade its loyalty for a bottle of wine.
While airlines should certainly stop drunk people from boarding flights for obvious reasons, given the short staffing, the worsening level of violence in everyday interactions between people, it really is a shame that, yet another responsibility is given to already over-burdened airport workers to tell grown adults they’ve had too much to drink and deal with that.
I believe that airports and planes would be much safer, and more efficient if NO ALCOHOL was sold on premises at all, but of course that would remove a huge source of profit. It is really a shame that we continue to sanction and glorify getting tipsy and drunk while alcohol, which is essentially a poison, is one of the most basic things to eliminate to drastically reduce your odds at developing cancer, and a whole host of brain, heart, vascular system, liver and kidney diseases and issues.
Imagine that………..two little white girls who’ve NEVER been told “No” by anyone in their life……….up til now.
@ScientificAccuracy — Had never heard of this; had to look ‘lumpenprole’ up; says, “those who are largely outside the wage-labor system, including criminals, vagrants, and the long-term unemployed.” That sounds nothing like law enforcement officers. So much for science or accuracy. Oof.