West Palm Beach, FL (WPTV) — A Delta Airlines flight from LaGuardia to Palm Beach International Airport had to be diverted to Jacksonville due to an unruly passenger dispute.
According to Delta Airlines, Flight 2370 was diverted “due to safety reasons in regard to a passenger issue” but according to a witness on board the plane, the dispute was over a reclining seat.
The onboard witness, Aaron Klipin, was seated next to a woman who attempted to recline her seat, which prompted an argument from the female passenger behind her who was trying to sleep on the tray table.
“This woman who was sitting next to me knitting actually tried reclining her seat back and the woman behind her started screaming and swearing and the flight attendant came over and that just exacerbated what was going on, and then she demanded that the flight land,” he said.
Klipin said when a flight attendant was called the incident became heated and the female passenger who had her head on the tray table insisted that the flight be diverted to the next stop.
She started swearing at the flight attendants and then demanding that the flight land. The flight attendants went and spoke with the captain, while somebody was blocking her path to the cabin. Then, a few minutes later, an announcement came on that we were diverting to Jacksonville,” Klipin said.
He says the woman said something to the effect of, “I don’t care about the consequences put this plane down now.”
According to Klipin, a flight attendant stayed next the female passenger until the plane landed in Jacksonville, where she was escorted off the plane by police.
