Unruly passengers were to blame for the diversion of a Portland-bound flight early Wednesday morning, United Airlines officials said.
The plane was headed to Portland from Washington, D.C., but diverted to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport where passengers suffered a lengthy delay.
“Basically we had three customers who were being disruptive and not following crew members’ instructions,” said Rahsaan Johnson, a United Airlines spokesman.
NBC Chicago is reporting on a strange occurrence aboard a Portland, Ore.-bound flight that was forced to make what is being called a “level two emergency” stop in Chicago Tuesday night.
According to the report, passengers said three men, reportedly of Middle Eastern descent, were acting strangely, and allegedly even fighting with flight crews.
At least one of the men were said to have walked back to the area of the plane where flight attendants work, laid down and began complaining of some type of illness. That man, according to news reports then engaged in “some sort of altercation” with the flight attendant, a passenger said. At one point another man, who was pacing back and forth in the aisles, also got into a “verbal altercation” with a flight attendant, according to a passenger.
The story goes on to say that other men of “Middle Eastern descent” were passing notes and “writing in their notebooks”.
More from the UK’s Mail OnlineThe man did not speak English and an interpreter seemed to be having trouble explaining what he wanted. A doctor also tried to help.
Passengers’ alarm grew as a second man began pacing the aisles and also began arguing with flight attendants. At least one other man was passing notes and writing in a notebook, according to a report by NBC Chicago.
As the situation threatened to spiral, United officials called O’Hare and asked for emergency clearance to land.
The three men were removed from the plane and the rest of the passengers re-screened before the flight took off again.
A United spokesman told the MailOnline that United 251 had been diverted ‘after several customers on board refused to follow crew member instructions’.
The flight was met by law enforcement officials he said, adding that is standard procedure.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1371734/United-flight-diverted-Chicago-Middle-Eastern-men-act-strangely-lies-aisle.html#ixzz1I9TpzrdV
