Airplanes need to start having a “brig” like boats. This taping people down business is silly.
Or, they could focus on making their flights as comfortable and stress free as possible, make flying a pleasure again, and fewer loonies will lose it. Imagine if we all had a good experience flying?
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It sure feels like this happens a hell of a lot more often now than when I was a kid back in the 80s or even a teen and young adult in the 90s. If that turns out to be statistically the case (it may just be that it’s reported on more often), it doesn’t seem like enough is being done to mitigate it.
Way way more people fly now than back then. Like 4xs as much. Things like this will also be reported basically right away and go viral. I’m sure they had unruly passengers in the past, but the increase in people flying has increased the number of shitty adults flying as well.
Not to mention everyone has a camera in their pocket whereas before no one would believe you or be able to share the story far.
You should know that it is physically impossible to open the cabin door of an airliner at altitude. Cabin doors are designed so that one must first pull the door in to unlatch it. This requires overcoming a pressure differential of 7 psi or more. Assume a tiny 2’ x 5’ door. That equates to a surface area of 2’ x 5’ = 10 sq ft => 10 sq ft x 12" x 12" = 1,440 sq in => 1,440 sq in x 7 psi = 10,080 lbs of force. So the only way the cabin door is coming open is if the cabin is not pressurized, which normally means the plane is climbing to altitude after takeoff or descending for landing. If you are at altitude and the cabin is not pressurized, you will soon pass out unless you are wearing an emergency oxygen mask. The lack of pressure differential means no one would be sucked out of the plane; it would just be extremely windy.
So if someone tries to open the cabin door in the middle of your flight at altitude, just sit back and enjoy the show.
Boeing™ is committed to innovative solutions to problems like opening a cabin door mid flight
Heck, some new Boeing planes don’t even need a human to open the door! It’ll just come right off!
That’s AI taking people’s jobs already
Damn it. Terrorism shouldn’t just be incompetence with an extra step.
I thought cabin door meant the pilots cabin
Heather Wells bit, kicked and spat at staff as she reportedly attempted to open the front cabin door mid-flight
Yeah, nah. Stick her down with super glue if you have to at that point.
That headline doesn’t really do the article justice…
even in the article they try to slant it like “poor karen!” and it’s annoying.
Even if you were to assume that she was having some sort of mental break down or something- which is entirely possible- You still have to maintain the physical safety of yourself and the other passengers on the plane first and foremost. though I’m a little surprised they don’t have zip ties or handcuffs on board for unruly passengers… or, uh… .something more than duct tape…
I think they had zip cuffs, they just used the duct tape to keep her in the seat and keep her from spitting. They made the right call, and that lady definitely needs some kind of mental health intervention.
I disagree on the duct tape of the mouth. There needs to be a better way to handle that than making it harder for someone to breath. Where they keep the zip cuffs, they should probably have a spit mask or something.
Yeah… this woman deserved what she got. You cannot threaten the safety of everyone around you and then later go “oh poor me”. No… FUCK you.
Edit: I must correct myself here. I misread the title of the post and thought she was using the FAA. Nope. They’re suing her to collect on the fines they already levied. Again. Fuuuuuck her. She should get a significant penalty for being a goddam dickhead.
One of the ‘tells’ of mental illness in airplane passenger stories is business class. People experiencing manic episodes tend to take luxury options regardless of means.
It really sucks, and I’m sure red flags were present in the terminal if anyone paid attention.
On the plus side, she was probably hospitalized after the emergency landing, she may not be liable.
Maybe it’s people already miserable from the crowding, the stress, the cavity search, the paperwork, the worry about getting bumped, the lack of space, the lack of freedom to even move, the lack of elbow and knee space, all the wasted ti e of getting there hours ahead of time, will their toothpaste get flagged as a threat, etc …… just trying for a little peace and comfort, willing to pay a little more to get it, but no
Yeah the lack of criminal charges indicates that it was a manic episode. She probably spent several weeks in a mental health ward. Otherwise she would have been charged for the abuse to the flight attendants and others.
She also likely had a ton of drugs in her system as well as the booze. People undergoing manic episodes will take about anything.
I am not so sure about the FAA fines. The U.S. civil court system is inherently unjust. There are many draconian rules that punish the mentally ill and impoverished.
I’m a bit annoyed at the lack of charges unless she was criminally incompetent. We need to be empathetic to folks with mental illness but not every bipolar person does this shit, ‘batshit’ doesn’t mean ‘incompetent,’ and a disability doesn’t negate consequences.
I imagine a lot of these people with serious MH issues would’ve been killed (by someone) back in the day. Now we just deal with them. But that doesn’t mean we should just ignore what they do and give them a free pass to commit crimes.
Must’ve been some strong jack…
If she took a Xanax to relax before the flight and then had a Jack, she could be unaware of the integration between benzos and alcohol.
One drink can put you into black out territory on benzos.
The woman is clearly mentally ill, and instead of sending her off to the loony bin for the help she needs, the reaction is to fuckin SUE her?
How’s that going to help?
It was hidden in the article between all of the annoying ads, but the FAA fined her after the incident, and it looks like she hasn’t paid up, so the lawsuit is to enforce the fine. She’s hasn’t been charged with anything which is probably why the FAA needs to file a civil lawsuit to enforce the fine.
She is suing?!?! She is lucky she isn’t tried for attempted murder for trying to open the airplane door in mid flight!!
