An Alaska Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing after passengers said a man made threats about
not being able to use the first-class bathroom. pic.twitter.com/sSsgchsITH— KOKH FOX 25 (@OKCFOX) September 27, 2019
LOS ANGELES, CA — A man’s fight for bathroom equality aboard an Alaska Airlines flight from New York to Los Angeles landed him in handcuffs Thursday and forced the plane to land in the Midwest.
According to authorities, the coach passenger is suspected of making a threat after he was denied access to a first class bathroom. Alaska Airlines Flight 411 landed in Kansas City Thursday evening, and the unruly passenger was arrested. According to authorities, the unnamed passenger was upset he was not able to use the bathroom in the first class section of the plane when the toilets in coach were full. Passenger videos captured the man’s rant for toilet equality.
“Making seven people wait here to use the bathroom while the whole bathroom up there is empty is wrong. I don’t care how much money you got. It ain’t about money. We’re trying to use the bathroom,” the man shouted while daring flight attendants to call the police. “Call them. Call them. Call them. Call them. I am not going to stop complaining while I am waiting in line.”
Flight attendants called his bluff and police were waiting for the plane as it was diverted to Kansas City.
The passenger also allegedly tried to get into the plane’s cockpit during Thursday’s flight and made a threat “to do harm to the plane,” CBS News reported. However, Alaska Airlines told CBS News in a statement it had no indication the passenger tried to get into the flight deck.
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“Alaska Airlines Flight 411, a Boeing 737 flying from JFK to LAX, diverted to Kansas City International Airport due to a passenger disturbance,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. “The passenger was taken into custody by police.”
The diverted flight landed at LAX about 9 p.m. Thursday. The FBI will determine what charges, if any, the man will face.
The name of the suspect was not immediately released.
City News Service contributed to this report.