Two passengers engaged in a fistfight on a Southwest flight bound for Hawaii on February 12.
According to NBC News, the altercation occurred on a plane departing from Oakland, California. Video footage depicts a man wearing a baseball cap standing in the aisle of the aircraft, confronting another man standing in a row of seats. The second individual appears to slap the first on his arm, prompting the first individual to retaliate by throwing a punch at his face with his right arm, followed by several more punches.
Surrounding passengers attempted to intervene, with one yelling, "No way, no way!" By the end of the clip, it appeared that another male passenger was able to separate the two fighting passengers by guiding the man with the baseball cap toward the back of the plane.
Southwest Airlines issued a statement regarding the incident, saying, "Our reports indicate that two Customers became disruptive onboard flight 1288 from Oakland to Lihue. We commend our Crew and Customers for their professionalism in diffusing this situation. Our number one priority is the safety and well-being of our Customers and Employees. The flight landed safely at its scheduled destination, and local authorities met the aircraft upon arrival."
Commenters quickly shared their thoughts on the passengers' behavior.
"How could someone get mad on a flight to Hawaii?!?" one user questioned in the comment section.
"Quickest way to ensure you never step foot on a commercial flight ever again," another user replied.
In April 2023, a passenger recorded the moment a man became agitated on a Southwest Airlines flight bound for Florida. In the video, the unidentified passenger was seen yelling at flight attendants for nearly 3 minutes due to a crying baby.
“You’re yelling,” a flight attendant can be heard telling the irate passenger in the video.
“So is the baby!” the man retorted.
On a United Airlines flight in March 2023, a passenger filmed another passenger onboard attempting to attack a flight attendant with a spoon that he tried to fashion into a weapon.