A Delta Air Lines passenger is forced to pay the airline $9,118 after verbally threatening a flight attendant back on May 30, 2018 by saying “Don’t touch me and if you touch me again you will regret it”. Delta flight 1156 was en-route from Portland, Oregon to Atlanta when it forced to divert to Tulsa, Oklahoma as a result of the incident, which had two air marshals onboard the flight.
Additionally, the unruly passenger is facing up to six months in prison plus a fine of up to $5,000 and additional penalties from the both the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration as a result.
Per ABC News,
Among the 178 people onboard the Boeing 737 aircraft on May 30 were two federal air marshals, according to the complaint. One air marshal protected the cockpit while the other sat next to Olorunda to keep him calm. The captain declared an emergency and diverted the flight to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Olorunda was arrested.
Diversions are often costly to airlines. The additional fuel, rebooking of passengers, fees at the airport and swapping of crews can cause that price to reach in the thousands. Delta Air Lines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As part of the guilty plea reached with the U.S. attorney’s office in Oklahoma, Olorunda has been ordered to pay Delta Air Lines $9,118 for the cost of the emergency landing, according to court documents. An attorney listed for Olorunda did not respond to a message left at his office by ABC News.
Thank god for Air Marshals, we need more of them!!
Air Marshals on domestic US flights are a general waste of money. No less so as US FAMs have done more harm than any good in terms of stopping terrorists on such flights.
Also, flight attendants’ with their “zero tolerance” approach to questionable encounters, enabled by pilots with their “we/flight crew can do no wrong” mentality, are behaving like snowflakes.