Southwest Passengers Get Into Fistfight As Plane Taxis To Gate

Image courtesy of @nickrause08

If it’s a day of the week ending in “y,” odds are something disruptive has happened on a U.S. airline (or in the airport, as the case may be). Case in point, the recent fistfight that broke out between two passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight. And because we know you’re asking: Yes, someone did catch it on camera.

The plane had just landed in Burbank, CA, from Dallas and was taxiing to the gate for a layover before flying on to Oakland, reports CBS Los Angeles (warning: link contains autoplay video).

A passenger on the plane heard commotion and started filming on his cellphone as two men started wrestling and throwing punches, he told CBS L.A. It appears the two men were angling for position near a row of seats.

“Everyone was de-planing then all heck broke loose,” the passenger said.

A woman tried to pull one man off the other, who she was traveling with, while the video shows Southwest flight attendant also attempting to intervene. Suddenly one of the men pushes the other over the seatbacks in front of them, leans over, and pummels him with his fists.

“What is wrong with you?” a female passenger asks, trying to get the two men to stop fighting.

Southwest confirmed to CNN (warning: link contains autoplay video) that one man suffered minor injuries but was able to continue on to his destination. The other was detained at the gate and arrested for misdemeanor battery and booked into the Burbank City Jail, Burbank police said.

The airline said its employees did the right thing by reacting quickly and keeping things from getting worse.

“Our employees are our everyday heroes and are trained to de-escalate conflict while delivering heartfelt hospitality on nearly 4,000 flights to nearly the half-million customers who fly Southwest every day,” the airline said.

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