Southwest Airlines withholding return of alcohol service after passenger knocks out two teeth of a flight attendant

y_p_w

y_p_w

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The passenger apparently wasn't served alcohol on board, but I'm not sure if she may have already been inebriated.

On Sunday, May 23, 2021 at 8:55 a.m., the Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department received a call of a disturbance on board Southwest Airlines Flight 700 inbound to the San Diego International Airport from Sacramento, Calif. Harbor Police officers met the aircraft at the gate and began an investigation. According to witnesses, an altercation between a passenger and a flight attendant had taken place during the flight. During the altercation, the passenger struck the flight attendant, causing serious injuries.​
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Paramedics from the San Diego Fire Department transported the flight attendant to Scripps Memorial Hospital. Officers arrested Vyvianna Quinonez, age 28, for 243 (d) PC- Battery Causing Serious Bodily Injury. Quinonez was booked into the Las Colinas Detention Facility.​

abcnews.go.com

Southwest delays alcohol service after recent incidents

Southwest Airlines is pushing back plans to resume selling alcohol on flights after a recent increase in unruly passengers
abcnews.go.com abcnews.go.com
 
I kind of almost lost it on a drunk guy sitting behind me on a flight from Houston to Vancouver once. To say the guy was passively belligerent towards both other passengers and the crew is an understatement, and it went on for four hours. If my wife wasn't there to talk me off the ledge it may have gotten ugly 😅
 
Well - once I was waiting at the airport for my flight and thought maybe a beer was in order. But then I saw a guy and his fiancé ordering drink after drink. It might have been vodka and tonic. But he was at about 8 of them and she was maybe at 7. The strange thing is that they didn't look sick at all and weren't really all that belligerent. Some people become more passive as they've had more alcohol. I was more surprised that they hadn't passed out than anything else.
 
y_p_w said:
Well - once I was waiting at the airport for my flight and thought maybe a beer was in order. But then I saw a guy and his fiancé ordering drink after drink. It might have been vodka and tonic. But he was at about 8 of them and she was maybe at 7. The strange thing is that they didn't look sick at all and weren't really all that belligerent. Some people become more passive as they've had more alcohol. I was more surprised that they hadn't passed out than anything else.
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Some people drink a lot. According to this chart, the top 10% do about 74 drinks a week. Those guys might have just been having their daily ration.

 
My brother just experienced this the other evening on a flight from the east coast to SEA. A passenger decided to start banging his head on the walls and anything else he could find. He was subdued and the plane landed without further incident. Most of the passengers including my brother suspected drugs as the cause.

The cabin and flight crew did a good job.
 
PimTac said:
My brother just experienced this the other evening on a flight from the east coast to SEA. A passenger decided to start banging his head on the walls and anything else he could find. He was subdued and the plane landed without further incident. Most of the passengers including my brother suspected drugs as the cause.

The cabin and flight crew did a good job.
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Nearly every incident involves alcohol or medication.

In every case, consumption happened prior to boarding. Getting liquored up, or medicated, before flying is simply an atrocious idea. No good comes of it.

Federal regulations require denial of boarding to anyone under the influence of anything. So, hitting the bar before boarding could get you denied boarding, and because it's your fault, the airline owes you nothing.

I can't think of a single one of these recent incidents that involved alcohol served on the airplane. F/As are trained to monitor passengers who are served, and to limit their consumption while on board.

Please don't make the big mistake of getting drunk before boarding. It's just plain stupid.
 
Didn't know they served alcohol. I know they did when smoking was in vogue. Can't fix stupid people. I hope the Federal Judge makes an example of this woman. Violence is never the answer. Especially in a flying coffin.
 
y_p_w said:
Well - once I was waiting at the airport for my flight and thought maybe a beer was in order. But then I saw a guy and his fiancé ordering drink after drink. It might have been vodka and tonic. But he was at about 8 of them and she was maybe at 7. The strange thing is that they didn't look sick at all and weren't really all that belligerent. Some people become more passive as they've had more alcohol. I was more surprised that they hadn't passed out than anything else.
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Coming from a country where drinking is national sport, I attribute this behavior to amateurism.
 
Never had an issue and we have flied SWA 4x per year for 20 years.

We stick with them, they take care of us when we need to change a flight last minute, and they refunded some flights for cash when they did not have to.

Also they are the only airline that lets you check luggage for free.

Have two SWA flights coming up this summer.
 
As a former USAF flight crew dog, with thousands of hours, flying it is alot of boring with a few of " scared the crap out me moments". And as such ANY abuse of flight crew members WILL be met with extreme defensive countermeasures. Many of the flying public are often either intoxicated or drug and /or a mixture of both. The other are some form of "king/ queen" , thug/ bully complex. As cabin altitude ( inside the aircraft) raises proportionally to aircraft climb to cruise altitude the booze/ drug poeple are intox' to a greater degree. Therefore may become more of risk, or fall asleep. The ones threating abuse verbal or physical just need to be reminded of there weak tactical position. One, two or three a-holes versus a plane load of civilised human's.
 
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