Frontier Airlines problem with stuck-on passengers “solved”, says union of flight attendants



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An “issue” involving several Frontier Airlines flight attendants and an unruly male passenger who was glued to his seat has been “resolved,” Association of Flight Attendants-CWA president Sara Nelson said on Tuesday.

In a tweet, she wrote that she was “happy to report that @FlyFrontier [was] Do the right thing. “

She did not give further details on the matter.

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“Thank you to so many people for supporting the work of the flight attendants and the incredibly difficult tasks the crews are tasked with doing at this time,” she said.

In a statement released earlier the same day, however, Nelson blasted the low-cost airline’s initial decision to put flight attendants on paid leave pending an investigation into the incident.

“Flight attendants have faced a wave of disruption to our flights this year. The situation at Frontier this weekend is one of the worst examples. A drunk and enraged passenger verbally, physically and sexually assaulted several members of the The crew. When they refused to comply after several attempts at de-escalation, the crew were forced to restrain the passenger with the tools at their disposal on board. We are supporting the crew, “she wrote.

Nelson said Frontier management suspended the crew due to “a knee-jerk reaction to a short video clip that did not show the entire incident.”

“Management should be supporting the crew at this time and not suspending them. We will fight this with all the contractual and legal tools available, but we hope this will not be necessary as management comes to its senses and supports the people on the job. first line responsible for ensuring the safety of all passengers, “she added. “As noted in our survey of unruly passengers, if this is not immediately corrected, flight attendants may feel unsafe coming to work. Management has a legal obligation to maintain a safe working environment for employees. . “

Frontier Airlines told FOX Business it has no update on the situation, but is working with law enforcement to prosecute the passenger.

“During a flight from Philadelphia to Miami on July 31, a passenger made inappropriate physical contact with two flight attendants and subsequently physically assaulted another flight attendant. As a result, the passenger had to be restrained. until the flight lands in Miami and law enforcement arrives, the company said.

“Frontier Airlines maintains the utmost value, respect, concern and support for all of our flight attendants, including those who have been assaulted on this flight. We are meeting the needs of these team members and working with them. law enforcement to fully support the prosecution of the passenger involved The current status of paid leave for in-flight crew members is consistent with an event of this nature awaiting investigation, “the airline wrote.

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According to Miami-Dade Police, the passenger – Maxwell Berry, 22 from Norwalk, Ohio – had two drinks on the Philadelphia-Miami flight and ordered another,

Berry then brushed an empty mug against the back of a flight attendant, who immediately told him not to touch it.

This booking image provided by the Miami-Dade Police Department shows Maxwell Berry, 22, of Norwalk, Ohio, who was arrested on Saturday, July 21, 2021 at the Miami International Airport and charged with three counts of misdemeanor (Miami-Dade Police Department via AP)

Additionally, Berry spilled a drink on his shirt, went to the bathroom and got out shirtless and a flight attendant helped him retrieve another shirt from his carry-on.

After circling the plane for 15 minutes, Berry reportedly grabbed the chest of two flight attendants.

The couple then called a flight attendant to monitor Berry, who punched the other man in the face, officials said.

Flight attendants and passengers nearby restrained Berry in his seat using duct tape and a seat belt extender, as shown in a cell phone video taken during the incident.

“He started to get aggressive and then attack the male flight attendant,” passenger Alfredo Rivera, who recorded the conflict, told WPLG in Miami on Tuesday.

In an interview Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Rivera said the flight attendants were “very professional” and that Berry had been a “danger” to other passengers and potentially himself.

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Berry was arrested Saturday at Miami International Airport in Florida and charged with three counts of mischief.

Berry was free on a $ 1,500 bond. Online court records did not list a lawyer for him.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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