Two military veterans helped restrain a passenger who tried to open a plane door midair during a Tokyo to Houston flight, which had to be diverted.
A passenger described their intervention, saying the man ended up zip-tied to his seat before the All Nippon Airways plane landed in Seattle, where two unruly passengers were taken off the plane.
The plane then continued to Houston which is hosting Memorial Day services tomorrow.
Newsweek has reached out to the Port of Seattle’s Aviation Relations outside of regular working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
This weekend marks one of the year’s busiest for air travel, ahead of Memorial Day on May 26, the AAA predicting 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period from Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26.
Concerns about aviation safety are currently high, following a number of aircraft collisions and near-misses that have occurred this year. A midair collision in Washington, D.C. killed 67 people in January, in March an American Airlines plane caught fire after it landed in Denver, sending 12 people to hospital, and in April, a sightseeing helicopter broke apart and crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, killing six people.
What To Know
A passenger on board the plane told Fox News 26 that, with four hours of the flight remaining, a man attempted to open up the emergency exit.
He was then zip-tied behind her before the flight landed in Seattle. She told the outlet that the men who had restrained him were military veterans.
Ashley, the passenger who sat right in front of the man in question, said another man was acting strange once the plane landed and officials also escorted him off the flight.
She told Fox News both of the Good Samaritans are military veterans.
“It was incredible,” she told Fox News. “I do want to say thank you to those kind citizens who stood up and took control. I wouldn’t know what to do.”
In an email shared with Newsweek, All Nippon Airways confirmed that the flight NH114, which departed on May 24 from Tokyo Haneda Airport to Houston Intercontinental Airport was “diverted inflight to Seattle,” due to an “unruly passenger.”
Fox News 26 reported that the passenger was suffering from a medical crisis, citing a Seattle Airport Official. The passenger was then taken to a hospital in Seattle.
All Nippon Airways confirmed that then, while on the tarmac in Seattle, “a second passenger become unruly.” The airline confirmed to Newsweek that both passengers were “removed from the flight by the Port of Seattle Police,” and that the flight to Houston then continued “without incident.
Houston is hosting Memorial Day services at two cemeteries, Monday, May 26.
What People Are Saying
All Nippon Airways, in an email shared with Newsweek: “The safety of our passengers and crew are our top priority and we applaud the efforts of local law enforcement for their support.”
Ashley, a passenger on the flight, speaking to Fox News: “He actually got up from his seat and crawled over the people next to him… He got up in a hurry and thought he was sick… I do want to say thank you to those kind citizens who stood up and took control. I wouldn’t know what to do.”
What’s Next
It’s currently unclear if either of the people arrested on the flight have been charged with any crime, or what condition the passenger who experienced the medical crisis is in.
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