What is it about the Portland flights? People seem to be getting a little stir-crazy these days. Maybe cabin fever is getting to everyone and spring just needs to hurry up and arrive.
A man on a United Airlines flight Monday decided he wanted a Jack Daniels — well, four drinks to be exact. And when he was cut off, he flipped out a bit.
He cursed the flight attendants when they said enough was enough, refused to sit in his seat after he spilled water on it and provoked the other passengers on the plane.
This incident comes less than a week after authorities in Portland arrested another disruptive passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight.
After a federal complaint was filed by FBI agent Sean Hamblet, Jared McKay, 29, was arrested and appeared Tuesday in U.S. District Court on a single count of interference with a flight crew.
According to Hamblet’s affidavit, McKay was traveling from Pittsburg to Portland on Monday. On his leg from Chicago to Portland he became disruptive.
McKay asked for four Jack Daniels from a flight attendant immediately after takeoff. The flight attendant gave him two at that point and then a bit later in the flight, she gave him two more.
At some point during the flight, he allegedly grabbed a flight attendant’s hand, told her he loved her and promised to “show you” if she sat next to him.
Ew!
Flight attendants noticed McKay becoming “increasingly aggressive” about halfway through the flight after he was cut off. The flight attendants decided to give him water instead, which he spilled on his seat, according to the affidavit.
It was at this point that McKay refused to sit down and continued to demand more Jack Daniels, the filing states.
And it just gets worse.
Later in the flight the man went into the lavatory. When he returned to the galley, attendants said they could smell cigarette smoke from him and from the lavatory.
According to the affidavit, the captain of flight UA1108 told the FBI he nearly diverted the plane to Denver, but decided to continue on to Salt Lake City as an option for landing.
But it was not needed as McKay either passed out or fell asleep.
During questioning by the FBI, McKay apparently said that a “terrorist” had spilled water on him and that he stayed in the galley to dry himself off with napkins.
He was released after the hearing Tuesday on conditions and is to be arraigned March 27.
A week prior to this incident, a Southwest Airlines pilot made an emergency stop in Portland on a Seattle-to-Sacramento flight. A passenger of that flight demanded multiple glasses of wine, shouted, swore and displayed gang signs.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
