Airlines
American Airlines Passenger Ordered to Pay $42,000 for In-Flight Meltdown”
An American Airlines passenger who spat on a fellow passenger, shoved a flight attendant, unlocked the emergency exit as the aircraft was taxiing to the gate, then descended the emergency chute and ran across the tarmac, has been ordered to pay the airline more than $42,000 in restitution.
Cynthia McKnight, 24, of Rochester was sentenced late last week after a plea agreement with prosecutors for the incident on April 19, 2022, which led to the temporary halt of all operations at Buffalo Niagra International Airport while law enforcement brought the situation under control. When flight attendants urged McKnight to put down her phone as the Chicago O’Hare bound aircraft was taxiing to the runway, the prosecution said that McKnight lost her cool.
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McKnight confesses in her plea deal that she then tried to open an exit door and shoved a flight attendant who tried to stop her. Then, while the aircraft was still in taxi, she opened the door, causing the emergency slide to open on its own.
Before being stopped by airport security, McKnight first descended the emergency slide and then started to run across the tarmac. The claims that she resisted arrest and smashed a wall in her cell at the police station were dropped.
She did, however, acknowledge that because of her actions, the flight had to be canceled and the passengers had to be rebooked on other flights. American Airlines calculated that the expense of rebooking customers and repairing the emergency slide would have been in the region of $50,000. Additionally, McKnight must pay American Airlines $42,128 in restitution, according to U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
