Spirit Passenger Learns You Can’t Threaten Crew After Refusing To Turn Off Your Phone

We know, we know — it’s annoying that you have to turn off your phones, tablets and other electronic gadgetry on airplanes. Even Alec Baldwin hates doing so. But even if you disagree with that rule, getting feisty and threatening the flight’s crew just because you’re being inconvenienced will turn out poorly. A Spirit airlines passenger disrupted a flight heading to Florida from NYC today, causing a delay for everyone else because of a phone.

Authorities say the flight was supposed to take off at 10:50 a.m. today when the incident occurred shortly before takeoff, reports NBC New York.

A spokeswoman for Spirit Airlines tells Consumerist:

This morning, as Spirit flight 197 was preparing to depart LaGuardia for Fort Lauderdale, a customer would not comply with instructions to turn off his cell phone and made a threat to the flight crew.  Following procedures, the crew contacted authorities and the customer was removed from the aircraft.  The situation is currently under the control of local port authority police and TSA.

It’s not clear what kind of threat was made, but cops were called and the man was taken into custody. The remaining 144 passengers had to be re-screened and bags checked again before the flight took off as a precaution. The flight took off shortly after.

Worth it to miss arriving at your destination just because you think you’re the only one who doesn’t have to obey the rules? Probably not.

Passenger Threatens Flight Crew After Refusing to Turn Off Phone: Authorities [NBC New York]

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