The incident, which unfolded on Thursday, was captured in a dramatic video posted to social media. The footage shows the woman surrounded by flight attendants as the cockpit door opens.
Moments later, a male flight attendant tackles the woman to the ground, preventing her from entering the cockpit. According to aviation magazine Aeroin, the woman lashed out, reportedly threatening to “kick the flight attendants in the balls” during the scuffle.
At least two passengers were removed from the flight following the disturbance.
The airline has not commented on whether charges will be filed, but the incident raises fresh concerns over rising cases of passenger disruption aboard commercial flights.
The situation on board the American Airlines flight quickly escalated when a man seated in first class stood up barefoot and began yelling at flight attendants in Portuguese, according to reports.
As crew members continued trying to calm the original female passenger, she too began shouting again, demanding to know the cause of the delay, Aeroin reported.
While being escorted toward the back of the plane, the woman engaged in a heated shouting match with the barefoot man.
“You son of a b**ch, disgusting, you can’t touch me, you don’t know who you’re talking to, you’re going to get screwed. I went to ask why I was late and this [man] threw me out,” she shouted, according to the publication.
Another male flight attendant attempted to defuse the confrontation, and the male passenger was later removed from the aircraft, Aeroin confirmed.
The flight, which had already been delayed, was forced to return to the gate as crew dealt with the double disturbance.
The commotion onboard led to even further delays, as the aircraft was forced to taxi back to the gate in order to remove the disruptive passengers.
According to aviation outlet Aeroin, the flight from São Paulo to New York City eventually took off two hours and 25 minutes later than its scheduled departure.
In a statement, American Airlines confirmed that the plane returned to the gate and said:
“The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority and we thank everyone for their understanding.”
This incident follows another alarming case earlier this month, when a father threw himself at a flight attendant in an attempt to force entry into the cockpit on an American Airlines flight from New York to Milan.
Passenger Krystie Tomlinson told CBS News:
“The whole thing started because of a meal choice they didn’t get.”
She explained that the passenger had requested a specific meal in advance and also wanted to sit in the exit row because he had a baby with him.
These back-to-back incidents have raised further concerns about passenger behaviour and safety protocols on long-haul international flights.
A witness said the passenger snapped after two key demands were rejected — a specific meal and a seat in the exit row.
“Those two things are what pushed the person over the edge,” the witness explained.
Another passenger, Michael Scigliano, said the situation became even more alarming due to the absence of an air marshal on the flight.
He described the atmosphere after the pilot announced the aircraft would be turning around, saying.
“We’re left with this crazy man in the plane, unprotected and unrestrained.”
The flight eventually returned to JFK Airport, where the disruptive passenger was removed. No criminal charges were reported.
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