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Man duct-taped to seat after allegedly groping flight attendants

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An “aggressive” passenger on a Frontier Airlines flight was duct-taped to his seat after allegedly groping two flight attendants and assaulting another, video shows. (nypost.com) More...

Roger Anderson
News junkiePromoter

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patpylot
patrick baker 31
the FA was there on the scene as were passengers and other crew, and if those other folks make plain the danger faced due to this man acting out and becoming uncontrollable, then the FA acted within the demands of the moment, and ought to be commended rather than suspended.
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jmilleratp
jmilleratp 21
The attorneys for the Flight Attendants are going to have a field day with this in court.
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cyberjet
cyberjet 3
There's no grounds for a lawyers' field day. They were not suspended, they were taken off the line with pay until an investigation is completed.
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srobak
srobak 0
the male was suspended and ripped.
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TimDyck
Tim Dyck 5
It’s paid leave until everything is sorted out. After that flight a few days off might be needed.
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alexa320
alex hidveghy 1
No need! F9 hurriedly retracted their original statement after a very public outcry, supported by the FA Union. Basic company rule is you support your own employees.especially when the evidence is irrefutable on camera and with witness reports.
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nk4091
Neil Klapthor 14
Along with fines and banishment from flying, I'd like to see some mandatory jail time for these idiots.
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watkinssusan
mary susan watkins 13
flight crews are in a "limited" space on an airplane,even on one considered a widebody,which this one was not..flight crews are given zip ties to use as restraints on unruly passengers,but i guess you have to do what you can to protect yourself, your fellow employees and the passengers..due to the real rise in passengers assaulting flight crews (recently the southwest f/a who had her teeth knocked out),i dont blame the male f/a for using what was handy to subdue the young drunken passenger,which was duct tape..i heard on the news today frontier has decided the actions were called for and told the flight attendant no suspension for his actions..i am guessing no air marshalls on that flight!
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Kairho
Kairho Carroll 3
I don't believe an air marshall would even be allowed get involved in such an incident. Their function is to prevent cockpit intrusion and getting involved here would take away from their sole purpose.
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tjtom
tjtom 10
It seems appropriate that a flight ban from one airline should be honored by all carriers. I hope the carriers will soon agree to make that a policy.
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srobak
srobak 1
the TSC list is federal.
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a1brainiac
a1brainiac 10
His parents must be so proud
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roosa1660
Fred Rosa 0
They are worth two million bucks; they can afford this.
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Rickh52
Rickh52 12
Doesn't matter if mommy and daddy are worth 2 million or 2 bucks. An idiot is still an idiot no matter how much money mommy and daddy have.
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eichmat
Tim Eichman 3
If mommy and daddy are so rich, why is he flying Frontier?
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alexa320
alex hidveghy 6
Affluenza?

Nope. Just shows money doesn’t buy you brains or intelligence……mummify his ass!
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georgewilhelmsen
George Wilhelmsen 14
Ban this person from air travel for 10 years.
That will fix it.
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Captaindl
Captaindl 18
Don't forget to add in FAA $150,000 Fine for disrupting a flight crew.
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srobak
srobak 6
it's actually a permanent ban - so no worries there.
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victorbravo77
victorbravo77 1
20 years, Judge.
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Captaindl
Captaindl 13
These guys think it is like a police chase on youtube, they think they will get away with it but being stupid never ends well. Some people are just slow learners
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mbazell
mbazell 4
Too bad aviating can't be like this:
https://youtu.be/v92U2F9gbUo?t=1364
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srobak
srobak -2
yeah the days of roomy & comfortable seats, FAs reviewing documents, passports and itineraries on a per-passenger level and their being concerned about my time-saving efforts are a very long and distant memory from the ancient past.

now it is merely cattle-wrangling..... yet they act surprised when people start to act like animals.
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jpatrix
patrick bloem 4
Some peoples kids.
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mbrews
mbrews 3
If this trend continues, Fed government may need to re-deploy TSA security staff to serve as domestic air marshalls. Then invoice the airlines for the protective service.
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bonanza165
Brad Milligan 3
Good for them. Too bad they don’t have a jettison seat for unruly passengers
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KicksOnRoute66
Roger Anderson 12
The worst part about this is that Frontier suspended the FA who duct taped the guy to the seat.
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cyberjet
cyberjet 11
Paid leave pending an investigation is not the same thing as suspension.
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[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

djames225
djames225 32
Sorry Bob, but when it comes to the safety of the other passengers and crew, and there is no flight marshall on board, duct tape works like a charm. If there was an emergency, first aid kit knife would slice through that duct tape in less time it would take an air marshall to find his keys for the handcuffs.
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[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

rb522140
ROLAND BALCH 16
Bob , I would like to hear some of the " plenty of ways to " secure " someone that don't involve taping them to a seat ".
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Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling -3
Punishment vs security?

Handcuffs ARE punishment. Seeing someone in handcuffs in public doesn't mean they did anything good. It's like the old 'scarlet letter'. So, duct taping someone to their seat is BOTH security and punishment. You can't differentiate between them, because there is no difference short of semantics.

And, good grief, the people here seem to uniformly hate it when people taught themselves as being above them, and people are supporting the ass that screamed that his grandfather was 'worth' more than the entire plane? He is a disgrace, he is an ass, he was assaulting the flight crew. (how would you feel if an entitled rich ass was grabbing at your junk on a flight? Would you be so charitable to them? Seriously?)

It appears that Frontier has backed away from their suspension now.

When someone is on a plane, it is a 'special environment', and what would be available on the ground may not be, unless it was put on the plane prior to takeoff. If all they had to securely restrain the passenger was duct tape, or someone sitting on his chest, I'm all in favor of duct tape. He surrendered almost all of his rights when he decided to stage such an outburst on a plane. After that moment, all of what happened was fully on him. (Unless the now notorious hard right wing Supreme Court rules obnoxious entitled asses are a protected subclass of toxic human beings. Brett has already ruled that HOUSING is not a human right, so who knows what other crackpot decisions will come out of that once revered house of Justice)
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freddodge01
Fred Dodge 19
Bob, While I appreciate your point, I have to disagree...the safety of the rest of the passengers and the aircraft have to take priority over the "what if" risk to an idiot who got himself in that particular predicament.
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Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling 17
Well, 'retraining the passenger to insure the safety of the crew and passengers' is one of their functions. Taping him to the seat was a little 'extreme', and yet totally appropriate.

They would have had to remember to free the monster, in case of a crash, etc. I'm sure he would have been in the forefront of their minds, in that case.

I'm sure I would remember the them. Eventually...

People that are that toxic must be dealt with appropriately. Taping him to the seat worked. It *looks* bad, only if the passengers weren't aware of their actions that demanded that level of containment. He had it coming.

If the pilot is supposed to land every time a monster like that is on a flight, it would be a HUGE loss for the air carrier industry, and passengers would probably elect to tape them to the landing wheels, if possible...

DON'T BE AN ASS ON A PLANE!!! That message needs to be screamed from the lowes lows, and highest highs.
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sparkie624
sparkie624 20
I disagree... Someone out of control like that he gets what he gets and no compassion!
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whip5209
Ken McIntyre 19
Exactly what I was thinking. The idiot forfeited his rights to a comfortable flight with his poor behavior. No sympathy from me. At all.
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gcottay
George Cottay 6
"Taping him to the seat was a little 'extreme', and yet totally appropriate."

Quoted with appreciation.
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tbmorris51
Tom Morris 2
Not extreme at all. It might have been extreme if they just threw him out of the plane.
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srobak
srobak 4
your security training is flawed. I would rather 1 passenger be put at risk by securing him than putting the whole plane at risk because of said passenger. If your company's status is ANYTHING other than this - please advise who you fly for, so the rest of us can make sure we do not put ourselves at risk due to their gross negligence.
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stalbott972
Steven Talbott 2
sadly with how litigation happy our world has become that was the first thing that went through my head as well that it was begging for a lawsuit. My quick reaction without being there is he probably deserved it but try getting that through the court systems and we have a different matter. I'm wondering if at some point if this keeps up if the planes are start to be upgraded with a jail cell and the air marshal can lock people up as needed.
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KicksOnRoute66
Roger Anderson 2
That makes perfect sense
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victorbravo77
victorbravo77 1
Pilots in Command are always ulitmately responsible for any flight. Be safe, or die.

Thank you!
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DonMc123
DON MCLAIN 0
Why worry about a piece of human excrement in an emergency anyway?
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jesussmitharoo
billybob snaketail -3
Then just duct tape his mouth and nose.
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jmilleratp
jmilleratp 7
And suffocate him? Yeah, "great" idea.
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speedbird9
Marty Martino 3
Fine. Just the mouth then.
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rb522140
ROLAND BALCH 1
No , do both .
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srobak
srobak 1
better idea than you realize.
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TimDyck
Tim Dyck -6
I disagree with you but I respect you right to your opinion. Obviously those who downvoted your comment forgot about that little right.
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srobak
srobak 4
downvoting has nothing to do with rights, nor with respecting the opinion. They are downvoting because they disagree... as I am about to do with your post.
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TimDyck
Tim Dyck 0
On this site downvotes can remove a post from being viewed
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OkToBe
OkToBe 7
The article in the link says the 22 year old kid groped two female FA, and a male FA was punched in the face. They were all put on paid leave pending the investigation. Paid leave is a typical action.
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[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

cyberjet
cyberjet 6
Sometimes it's better to stay quiet than it is to prove that you clearly don't know what you're talking about.
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rwtimmons
rwtimmons 2
Better than being told to suck it up and get back to work. It is very typical for any flight crew to be removed from trips after stressful incidents. They get to recover without losing any pay…so yes they will probably go out and buy a luxury yacht with all that money they make on their normal schedule.
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sparkie624
sparkie624 4
LOL... I would loved to have been there for that one! What a Moron!
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victorbravo77
victorbravo77 12
Cargo people usually know how to restrain loads. :D
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jwills8606
James Wills -4
Load. I get it, even if nobody else does. Good one.

He's lucky the passengers didn't kill him. After 9/11, getting out of control on an airplane is a low-percentage game. Unless, of course, you are a member of a protected group. Then you can do whatever you want. Rage and all that ....
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srobak
srobak -2
pax get closer and closer to being treated as cargo every day... so don't be surprised when we eventually get stacked up in containers and have a container-door profile resembling that of trains in europe in the 40s.
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Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling 5
Mid-April, I was flying to floriduh, and had thoughts of what would happen if that were to occur on one of the flights I was on. Yikes, we, as passengers, shouldn't have to worry about the erratic actions of other passengers that could endanger the crew, and others. on the plane. There is no 'safe zone' on a plane to contain erratic security risks like that person. The crew had to improvise, and contain the passenger, and the damage they could do. Frontier circling back and supporting their flight crew was the right thing, and the knee jerk reaction to suspend them was a mistake.

We are all burned out by the pandemic, and the political divisions being played out in this country. We all need to take some time out and deal with it all in a productive way. Things are flying apart. More incidents like this are very likely. They have to be dealt with strongly to help the industry recover. If potential passengers decide that flying is too risky because of 'bad actors', and that airlines and the government are allowing it to happen, the industry will crash to the ground. Flying is not Fight Club. Period...

I for one would NOT want to be there. There is nothing I can offer, and I'm sure the idiot with the '2 millionaire parents' wouldn't hesitate to sue me if I contributed in any way in restraining him. Pass. I've seen too many tirades in my days...
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pilot62
Scott Campbell 2
too bad we don't use the C word like the Kiwis - Because this is definitely the epitome of a
"Bad C----" Stupid kid who can't handle booze and thinks he's a tough guy. Flying Bans should be across the board to prevent idiots like this from flying until they pay up and then convince a judge that they should be allowed to fly again. Enjoy driving ...
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TimDyck
Tim Dyck 4
We can express ourselves without being vulgar. I work in an industry were vulgarity is the venecular so I appreciate it when it’s not there.
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franciemr
Fran Moreno-Randle 2
I believe something should be done - fine + no fly. My question is why isn't this done when any passengers says they were groped or fondled by a fellow passenger? Seems like I read about female passengers being groped by a male passengers who was sitting next to or behind the female. Is it because the female did not complain until the end of flight or ???? Not taking a stand, just curious. I've also wondered if these women who were groped ever made a ruckus - know if it were me, my girls, or even my friends, we'd stand up and shout for help and yell that the passenger was touching. And I'm not talking about an accidental brush on the arm because we are packed in like sardines. I'm talking about inappropriate touching - by anyone - male or female.
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n7777r
Derek Vaughn 2
That dude should have been pummeled by everybody that had to listen to that noise. Good on the Frontier crew for doing something.
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tnbriggs
Terry Briggs 5
Raise all the fares to what they were before de-regulation (inflation-adjusted) and most of this nonsense will disappear.
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EtienneDaniels
Etienne Daniels 3
Hope Duct tape is available on airforce one :)
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ADXbear
ADXbear 3
Let's see, all these in flight disturbances across all the airlines is what? What seems to be the trigger for bad behavior? ALCOHOL... stop selling it completely and the majority of these should stop, these goes for the airports..
If they won't do this, then everyone will need to blow to see how much they've had.. somthing has to be done, this is all out of hand.
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TheDogeof88
Chuck Lavazzi 9
The problem isn't alcohol. The problem is people who think it's OK to act like thugs in public because they think they're entitled. Airlines have been serving in-flight drinks for decades, going back to the old turboprop days. This clown needs some jail time.
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khAAcrew
Kimberly Holborn 2
Sorry to disagree Chuck, but I’ve experienced problems with intoxicated passengers many times. Many drink before boarding. Some play the game of asking a different crew member each time they want a drink so the crew won’t realize how many they’ve had. The worst offenders drink and take medication. Dealing with them can be dangerous. And like someone else mentioned, you can’t just land and kick them off the plane. Not only will it cost a fortune, but every other passenger will be impacted with delays or missed connections etc..
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sparkie624
sparkie624 9
I agree 100%, but the problem is, is that it is such a profit maker... besides, most get plastered before ever boarding the plane... Maybe they should have Breathalyzers and if you blow a number, you don't board! and agree, stop serving it on the plane! It really amazes me that the Airline World is so safety conscious to make sure everyone get get off the plane safely in an emergency, but some get so drunk they can't hardly get out of the seat!
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srobak
srobak 1
are you gonna make up the gap for their lost revenue? ticket prices soar monthly enough as it is. Profit margin on alcohol sales is in the hundreds of percentage points on a plane - and in an airport. I'm not going to pay more for a ticket just because you want to ban alcohol across the board thanks to a smaller percentage of flying jackwagons than what have died from covid.

If you want an alcohol-free flight - then cost difference gets tacked on to your ticket for the whole plane. Not mine.
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jaxonboy
William Heck 2
In the words of the FA, you are about to be mummified.
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roosa1660
Fred Rosa 1
They have two million dollars! He is therefore immune to rules for good behavior!
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ExPatHere
ExPatHere 1
Booze. I like the idea I just heard from a CBS travel writer….Airport bars need to check boarding passes time stamped with boarding times and stop serving alcohol to anyone boarding in 30 mins. These guys tank up at the bar then get on board and drink more….The results are a whole lot of not good!
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stephenjshaner
s s 2
Great, let's give another group of people ever more control over things they have no business controlling. Everyone will soon be a little hall monitor with a fancy arm band to display their authority.

Of course your idea is nonsensical because it doesn't address people who pop a few pills, or smoke some soon to be legal everywhere pot, or just plain ol' nuts who freak out in pressurized metal tubes.

But don't worry, soon you won't be able to get in your car without blowing into a little tube to make sure you weren't a bad little boy or girl and had a drink.
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craiglgood
Craig Good 1
I don't know why people keep referring to packing tape as duct tape. But I also don't understand why so many people are maskless assholes on airplanes.
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stephenjshaner
s s -7
Once again the media is manipulating people into believing there is some huge problem where one doesn't exist. Millions of people fly every day and it is normally so uneventful the only time it makes the news is when one single person out of those millions is emotionally unstable and causes a disturbance or due to substance abuse causes a disturbance.

This drumbeating of the media is nothing more than an ongoing attempt at scaring people in an attempt to further infringe upon their rights. Movement in a free society is NOT A PRIVILEGE IT IS A RIGHT. Passengers are not cattle and because one out of millions causes a disturbance is not a reason to begin to limit the rights of those millions. The media hypes these rare occurrences simply to bolster the efforts of giant corporations to further consolidate their power over the public.

If you pay any attention to what is going on in the world and can't see there's an effort to in the future control and restrict all movement, you're blind.
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TheDogeof88
Chuck Lavazzi 4
"Movement in a free society is NOT A PRIVILEGE IT IS A RIGHT." Why, yes, it is. And that right ends where someone else's right not to be assaulted begins. This is not some sort of massive conspiracy. Take off that tinfoil hat. Crime news has always been popular fodder for tabloids like the NY Post. Sheesh.
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stephenjshaner
s s -5
Crime news lol. This is being pushed on people that there's some crisis in the sky and new regulations will be coming.

Of course it's only tinfoil hat stuff. Just like the tinfoil hat stuff that says you won't be able to buy a new car that doesn't monitor where you drive or make you take a breathalyzer before you can start the engine. Or tinfoil hat stuff you'll need to show medical papers before you can travel. And tinfoil hat stuff if you own a home you have to pay the mortgage but if you're renting a house you can just slide because renters are a protected class.
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srobak
srobak 1
you are right that there is far more hype over this than what is reality... just like bad cops. note it is always the same media outlets and the same political pundits who are always trying to vilify everyone - when in reality it is always the extreme minority. but - that's what generates the social whip-up, and results in broad-stroke words and actions being issued against far larger classes of people (read: bigotry).

the reality is you can go on 100 long distance flights and not see so much as a single incident. try telling me you can get the same by simply driving across town for the next 2 days - let alone across the country.
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lynwilliams
lyn williams 0
Just a little pat on the head....with a hammer...will adjust this guys attitude. Now back to our AVIATION discussions.
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Sym2018
Doug Scott 0
We.. wouldn't fly commercial airlines if it was FREE. WAY too much drama, at FL380....
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jesussmitharoo
billybob snaketail -7
if you act out on a plane, you should be euthanized.
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whip5209
Ken McIntyre 5
Maybe an ejection seat.
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srobak
srobak 1
yeah but then everyone else has to deal with a cold and windy flight...
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sparkie624
sparkie624 5
I am not sure I would go that far, but I do like this style of Restraint, Even though, My choice on board would to use Seat Belt Extenders.... Put a Couple around the Waist and Seat, and another Couple Around his arms to the Seat Bottom... If he complains, give him a Cork!
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jesussmitharoo
billybob snaketail -2
lethal injection.
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[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

benthurston
Ben Thurston 4
Where did you get this idea? A policy of paid suspension for flight crew after such an incident does NOT constitute Frontier taking the side of the attacker.
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srobak
srobak 1
it sure doesn't put them on taking the side of the FA who did what needed to be done.
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[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

nk4091
Neil Klapthor 7
Well, it happened in a flying aircraft Monty...seems that would put it in the realm of aviation.
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KicksOnRoute66
Roger Anderson 0
Get off my lawn!
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