Airline Wars (2024) s01e03 Episode Script

[dramatic music]
- [Narrator] In
airplanes and airports,
people are acting up.
[passenger screaming]
- Call the police on me?
I call the police on you.
[passenger shouting]
- [Narrator] and acting
out more than ever.
- If there's no flight,
just say there's no flight.
- [Narrator] In recent years,
unruly passenger incidents
have more than doubled.
- [Narrator] And all of
it is caught on camera.
[people screaming]
[body slamming]
So fasten your seatbelts.
We're headed for the
not-so-friendly skies.
- We gonna [bleep]
all night, bitch!
[dramatic music]
- Missing your flight is one
of the perils of air travel,
but it's definitely not as bad
as losing your kid
during check-in.
At Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport,
this two-year-old slips
past an airline counter
and climbs right onto the
luggage conveyor belt.
[dramatic music]
- [Narrator] The
boy's frantic mother
shows airport staff where
her son was last seen
before he got swept away.
It may seem like a fun
amusement park ride to a kid,
but with all the moving
parts and heavy luggage,
it's actually an
extremely dangerous place.
And the danger intensifies
when one of the scanners
picks up the child
as an abnormality and
sends him even farther
into the airport to a TSA room
where bags are
manually searched.
There, airport staff
finally spot the little
one and rush to his rescue.
He's rushed away
to a holding room,
where an officer with a
bodycam looks after him
until his mother claims him.
- [Officer] His mother just
arrived to the carousel.
[child crying]
- [Employee] What happened?
- What happened?
- [Narrator] Reportedly,
the boy's hand
was severely bruised
during the ordeal.
So Atlanta first responders
arrive and treat him,
finally ending a mom's
worst airport nightmare.
[dramatic music]
[plane engine roaring]
Air travel, it's supposed to be
a family-friendly environment.
That's why, on this
flight in Washington, DC,
a passenger was asked
to remove her hat
displaying the F word,
a violation of
airline regulations.
That word on your
hat is inappropriate.
- [Narrator] The airline's
Contract of Carriage
reserves the right
to remove a passenger
whose attire creates
an unreasonable risk
of offense or annoyance
to other passengers,
but that doesn't really
resolve this face-off.
- Do you understand
the two options?
So, which is it? Tell
me now which is it?
- [Narrator] Apparently,
just taking the hat off
isn't enough for the pilot,
who wants more assurance
she's not going
to put it back on.
Luckily, a fellow passenger
and off-duty officer
steps in to help.
- [Officer] I'm
telling you right now.
- [Narrator] The
off-duty cop offers
to hang on to the hat for
the rest of the flight.
It's not known if the
passenger took him up on it
or if she stayed
on the flight.
- [Narrator] Because
she stopped recording.
The airline issued a response
to the incident, saying,
- [Narrator] All travelers
dread flight delays,
but sometimes, it's the
passengers themselves
who are holding things up.
On a flight from Dallas to LA,
a man takes what he
claims is his seat,
though he was reportedly
assigned to a different row.
- [Narrator] And now,
another passenger
who says it's his seat
has nowhere to go,
but the man continues
to stand his ground.
- This is my seat.
- [Narrator] even when
the flight attendant
steps in and gives
him a reality check.
- [Flight Attendant] You're
not giving him his seat
and you're being rude.
-
[voices chattering]
- [Passenger] If
I miss my connection
to Hawaii because of this
- [Narrator] While the
police are en route,
the man becomes
increasingly agitated.
- That's my seat.
You don't like it?
- [Flight Atendant] It's
not your seat.
I don't care, that's my seat.
Call the police on me.
I'll call the police on you.
I don't give a [bleep].
- [Narrator] The flight
attendant tries in vain
to de-escalate the situation.
- I don't give a
[bleep]. That's my seat.
- [Flight Attendant]
You need to calm down.
- You take something from me?
I take what is mine.
- [Flight Attendant] You
need to calm down.
Okay, one more
time, calm down now.
- I take what is mine. Shut up.
- [Narrator] As the man
continues his angry rant,
fellow passengers
lose their patience.
- Don't [indistinct].
Take it.
- All right, I'm gonna shut up
and I'm gonna be in that seat.
Police coming right now.
I'm gonna stay in that seat.
You take me off this plane,
your ass is going
to federal court.
Everybody, get off
the plane, please.
- All right everybody,
get off the plane, okay.
Everybody deplane.
[voices chattering]
- [Flight Attendant]
Ladies and gentlemen,
unfortunately,
everyone must deplane
the plane at this time.
Make sure you have your bags,
all belongings
and boarding pass.
We'll be re-boarding
in just a few moments.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
[passenger jabbering]
- It's you, me,
it's for everybody.
- [Narrator] Ordering
everybody off the plane
endangers plenty
of travel plans.
- [Narrator] But, it only seems
to make the man more defiant.
- [Narrator] Although
the man was escorted
off the plane by law
enforcement, no arrest was made.
After a 45-minute delay,
the flight re-boarded
and took off without him.
[plane engine r0ars]
[dramatic music]
These days, passengers
and airline staff are clashing
more than ever, and sometimes,
it's not just angry words.
- [Narrator] While boarding
a flight to New Orleans
at Denver International,
a traveler begins
recording an argument
between a fellow passenger
and an airline representative.
- Nah, man.
- [Narrator] It's not
clear from the recording
who started this
heated exchange or why,
but it seems the
passenger is being blocked
from boarding the flight.
- Don't go anywhere, okay?
- [Passenger] Excuse me?
- Yo, [indistinct]
[hand whacking]
- Get your hands offa me.
- Whoa!
You can't board, sir.
[voices chattering]
[child screaming]
[recording rewinding]
[hand whacking]
- [Narrator] When
the airline employee
appears to grab the
passenger's arm,
that's when it gets physical.
[hand whacking]
- Get your hands offa me.
- Whoa!
- [Narrator] That's
where this video ends,
but according to reports,
Denver Police arrived soon after
and removed the unruly
passenger from the plane.
[hand whacking]
- Whoa!
- Get your hands offa me.
[plane engine roaring]
- [Narrator] Airport
security is supposed
to be just that, secure,
and usually, it is.
But, all it takes
is one passenger
with bad intentions
to create utter chaos.
[dramatic music]
TSA surveillance
video shows this man
calmly approaching
a security line
at Louis Armstrong New
Orleans International Airport.
We can see he's
concealing one hand
inside a brown bag.
That's when he pulls out
a can of wasp spray
and fires at random.
[dramatic music]
Then, he suddenly
attacks the people
around him with a machete
[dramatic music]
and chases a TSA
officer with it.
When we slow the footage down
for a closer look, we see
him approach the line,
spray can in hand.
[tense music]
When he reaches for
the lethal blade,
a wild swing narrowly
misses one bystander.
Switching back to
the wasp spray,
he goes after the TSA agent,
spraying him
directly in the face.
The officer counters by
throwing a bin at the assailant,
knocking his bag to the floor.
As he chases agents
through the terminal,
an armed sheriff's
lieutenant intervenes.
She fires three shots,
[gun firing]
hitting the assailant
and halting the attack.
Amidst the chaos, one TSA
officer is shot in the arm
and several travelers suffer
non-life threatening injuries.
Reports say the man
was a 63-year-old
from Kenner, Louisiana,
who had been suffering
from depression
and other mental issues.
Authorities later
found smoke bombs
and three gas tanks
in his vehicle.
His bag also contained
Molotov cocktails,
a grill lighter and a
plastic letter opener.
The assailant died
from his wounds
in the hospital
the following day.
[dramatic music]
- [Narrator] Every time
we get on a plane,
we're trusting the
pilot with our lives.
That's what makes this story
all the more disturbing.
A pilot arrives at
Minneapolis-Saint
Paul International,
ready to man a commercial
flight to San Diego.
After making it through
a standard checkpoint,
he realizes a random
secondary check
has been set up that day.
The pilot tells the TSA officer
he isn't ready to go through
yet and strolls away.
He reportedly tells
an air marshal
he had gone to the crew room
to retrieve a forgotten iPad.
The pilot continues
through the checkpoint
and gets on the plane.
Officers monitoring all of
this are still suspicious.
With the pilot moments
away from taking off,
they scramble to review
surveillance footage
from at least 15
different cameras,
and see that the pilot
didn't enter the crew
room as he claimed.
Footage shows the
pilot ducking into
this men's room for
just 27 seconds.
Officers tracking the
pilot lose him briefly
before he reappears back at
the screening checkpoint.
And then, the air marshal
discovers a bottle of vodka
he believes the pilot dropped
in the restroom trash.
Fearing the pilot
may be intoxicated,
police rush to
board the aircraft
and promptly remove him
from the first officer's chair.
He was in position,
ready to fly the plane.
A breathalyzer test
found the pilot's
blood alcohol level was .065.
Experts say even
a reading of .05
is enough to seriously impair
a person's driving ability.
Police arrested him
and he pleaded guilty
to attempting to
operate an aircraft
under the influence of alcohol.
The pilot was then
placed on probation
and required to complete
alcohol treatment.
He later resumed
his pilot duties.
[plane engine roars]
This airliner from Philadelphia
has just landed in Punta Cana,
a town in the
Dominican Republic.
The plane ride is over,
but the drama's not
when the flight attendant
makes a somewhat
puzzling announcement.
- [Narrator] She's
referring to a passenger
who allegedly just
told the crowded plane
that he has the Ebola virus,
a highly contagious and
potentially fatal virus
that causes fever, diarrhea,
vomiting and bleeding.
[dramatic music]
- [Narrator] Though
the baffled passengers
don't know exactly
what's going on,
the flight crew have alerted
local health officials
who come on board to remove
the potential health hazard.
- [Official] I appreciate that
you have to work tomorrow.
[passengers chattering]
- [Narrator] Whether the
man was joking or not,
this is no laughing matter.
- [Narrator] Luckily,
they get the man
off the plane without incident.
- [Narrator] Passengers
were held in their seats
on the runway for
two more hours,
until officials
finally confirmed
the man was not
infected with Ebola.
However, because
of the incident,
the man was required to
return to the US immediately.
[plane engine roaring]
[dramatic music]
What happens when
someone forgets
to engage the emergency brake?
[dramatic music]
An emergency.
Engineers and ground staff
try to push this
rolling airplane back,
but nothing can stop it
until something does,
[dramatic music]
[plane slamming]
another plane.
The good news?
There were no passengers
on either aircraft.
- [Narrator] There
are patient passengers
who sit calmly and wait for
their airplane to take off.
And then, there's this lady.
- Say what? We gonna
[bleep] all night, bitch.
- [Narrator] Without warning,
right before the plane is
about to depart Atlanta,
she begins cursing and
exhibiting bizarre behavior.
- [Passenger] I have to go home.
[bleep] I have to go home.
- [Narrator] Gyrating,
climbing seats
and clawing at
overhead storage bins.
- And this bitch, no.
- [Narrator] One thing is clear.
This passenger needs to get
off this airplane immediately.
So, several passengers
joined forces
to gently guide her
to the nearest exit.
[several passengers talking]
Once removed, the
woman was allegedly
brought to a hospital
for evaluation.
- Say what? [bleep]
We gonna [bleep]
all night, bitch.
- [Narrator] And the
airline reported no injuries
during this seemingly
unprovoked outburst.
- Bitch, you're gonna
[bleep] be gone, bitch.
[woman screaming]
[plane engine roars]
- [Narrator] To recline
or not to recline,
that is the question.
On a flight from New
Orleans to Charlotte,
this frustrated
woman records herself
as the man behind her hits
the back of her seat
over and over again.
Apparently, the man was bothered
by her choice to recline.
- [Narrator] She
reportedly asked
the cabin crew for help,
but they apparently refuse.
The woman later
gives an account,
indicating the crew
took the side of the man
and acknowledged his discomfort
from the reclined seat.
But, that's not where
this story ends.
According to the woman,
a flight attendant
demanded she delete the video,
threatened to remove her
from the plane if she didn't,
and handed her a passenger
disturbance notice.
The airline issued
a statement, saying
it was looking
into the incident.
Reportedly, the airline later
apologized to the woman.
[plane engine roars]
Of course, air
travel has its share
of feel good moments, too.
Inside Detroit Wayne
County Airport,
Emma Trabue is anxiously waiting
to welcome her
boyfriend, John Greco,
home from Air Force
basic training,
if he'll ever get there.
- Wow!
- [Traveler] Hey Mom,
what is going on?
- I don't know.
[dramatic music]
Oh my gosh, why is
he taking forever?
Enough of that. [laughing]
- [Mother] Emma,
this is killing me.
- This is killin' me.
[people laughing]
Here he comes.
- [Travelers] Yay.
- [Mother] Hey John.
[people cheering]
[people clapping]
[voices chattering]
- [Narrator] What
Emma doesn't know
is her mother and John secretly
planned something special.
[people cheering]
[people clapping]
[warm music]
[people cheering]
The happy couple tied the knot
just 10 days after
their airport proposal,
even though it took
John a while to arrive.
- [Mother] Emma,
this is killing me.
- This is killin' me. [laughing]
[bright shimmering sound]
[plane engine roaring]
- [Narrator] Delays are an
expected part of traveling.
Do you know what's not?
[dance music]
Dance parties.
If you're part of a dance crew
on your way to a major
televised dance competition,
but your flight is
delayed for six hours,
what do you do?
Well, if you're the
Funky Wunks Dance Crew
from Orlando, you bust a move.
[electronic music]
[people cheering]
- All right!
- [Narrator] And in New Zealand,
it's a Maori tradition to
welcome loved ones home
at the airport with a ceremonial
dance known as the Haka.
[Maori shouting]
This powerful dance
ritual is usually
performed in groups to represent
a tribe's pride,
strength and unity.
So, the next time your
flight is delayed,
dance like nobody's
watching, or in this case,
dance like the entire
airport is watching.
[plane engine roars]