American Airlines operated a three hour flight to (just about) nowhere so that a 13-year-old could be taken into custody, after being duct-taped to his seat.
In this post:
American Airlines flight from Maui diverts
One of yesterday’s American Airlines flights from Maui (OGG) to Los Angeles (LAX) ended up diverting to Honolulu (HNL). Specifically, AA212 was scheduled to depart Maui at 12:40PM. The flight was operated by an Airbus A321neo.
Just over an hour into the flight, the decision was made to divert. The stretch between Hawaii and California has no diversion points, so eventually the decision was made to return to Hawaii.
Rather than returning to Maui, the plane instead diverted to Honolulu (presumably it’s easier to find hotels and accommodate people on other flights there), where it landed exactly three hours after departing from Maui. Yep, the passengers had a three hour flight to nowhere (well, or more accurately, to 100 miles from where they started).
So, what exactly caused this diversion? As an airline spokesperson describes it, it was “due to an incident with a passenger on board.”
The incident that caused this diversion
CBS Los Angeles reports that the reason for the diversion involved a 13-year-old boy, who became disruptive about an hour into the flight. According to eyewitness reports from other passengers on the flight, the boy became physical with his mother, and tried to kick out the window.
There’s video footage from the flight showing the teen being restrained, and a flight attendant seemingly duct-taping him to his seat. The 13-year-old was taken into custody in Honolulu.
From the initial report I saw, there weren’t any more details provided of what exactly unfolded. Was the kid just super violent, or what exactly would cause something like this? Well, a later story by The Daily Mail suggests that there may be more to this. I can’t speak to the accuracy of this report, but according to this report:
- The 13-year-old boy is autistic, and was fighting with his mom on the flight, and refused to calm down
- The mom allegedly had one arm, and had a difficult time getting her son to calm down, and controlling his movement
- Then the 13-year-old’s younger brother panicked at the situation, and tried to kick out the window
I’m not sure how much of this accurate, since that wasn’t at all reflected in the initial report, which had several eyewitness statements. However, this would certainly explain why this might have been a more complicated situation than we initially assumed.
The FAA has a zero-tolerance policy for bad inflight behavior, so I’m curious if that will be applied, or if the potential circumstances will limit that.
Unfortunately this isn’t the first incident we’ve seen involving duct tape, and the previous one was arguably a lot worse. On July 31, a 22-year-old Frontier Airlines passenger got duct-taped to his seat. How sad that nowadays airline passengers having to be duct-taped to their seats has become such a common occurrence.
Frontier passenger allegedly touched 2 flight attendants breasts, then screamed his parents are worth $2 million, before punching a flight attendant. Frontier suspended the crew for duct taping the passenger to his seat as they landed in Miami. 22 yr old Max Berry is in custody. pic.twitter.com/4xS9Rwvafx
— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) August 3, 2021
Bottom line
An American Airlines flight from Maui to Los Angeles had to divert to Honolulu after a 13-year-old on the plane could no longer be controlled. Initial reports suggested that the teen was fighting with his mother, but more recent reports suggest he may have been autistic, and that his younger brother was panicking as well.
The fact that duct tape is now becoming a common solution for restraining passengers sure is interesting to me…
I think using the term refused to calm down is improper. A person with autism who is having a meltdown can no more choose to calm down than a person having a myocardial infarction can choose to unblock the vessel that is causing the attack.
Regardless of age and disability, this child represented a danger to those around him. I’m sure there are better ways to handle the situation, but was that an option at cruise altitude somewhere over the Pacific? A friend of mine works with autistic children, and has several scars to show for it.
I think that any mother who takes an autistic child on a plane that endangers the operations of the flight crew needs to be held accountable
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Have no problem with the duct taping as safety is or should always be number 1. I hope that medical was close by when the Police met with the family upon return to land.
I am confussed because the story says the 13 yo kicked out the window, then further down that his younger brother did. Why not restrain the boy who tried to kick out the window????
The idea of getting restrained happens when one cannot control yourself.
Maybe planes should get seclusion restraint area like in the back, take out like 3 rows and have that area closed off for challenging people. Of course the airline would need to employ medical team as part of their flight attendants team. That way they can decide to restrain with meds or hold them in there with no audience. The space is too tight and these violent or medically incapacitated people would have an area...
Maybe planes should get seclusion restraint area like in the back, take out like 3 rows and have that area closed off for challenging people. Of course the airline would need to employ medical team as part of their flight attendants team. That way they can decide to restrain with meds or hold them in there with no audience. The space is too tight and these violent or medically incapacitated people would have an area to go to. I mean people die on planes too, they need a place to put the body temporarily
Excellent, well-thought-out response Rhonda - an isolation area. Thinkers still exist. Until the areas are made available duct tape will have to suffice and mom (the under appreciated) will preplan and preplan some more before next trip.
“The fact that duct tape is now becoming a common solution for restraining passengers sure is interesting to me…”
This statement should instead read “the fact that duct tape is now becoming commonly necessary for flight crews to resort to in order for their safety, the individuals safety, and the safety of the other passengers is concerning.” Not the method itself. The duct tape has always been there as a resource, the need for it...
“The fact that duct tape is now becoming a common solution for restraining passengers sure is interesting to me…”
This statement should instead read “the fact that duct tape is now becoming commonly necessary for flight crews to resort to in order for their safety, the individuals safety, and the safety of the other passengers is concerning.” Not the method itself. The duct tape has always been there as a resource, the need for it was not.
In this case while the disorderly passenger may have been handicapped, I can say with confidence the flight crew had to resort to this method for EVERYONES safety, including the passengers.
Let’s focus on more readily available resources for mentally and physically handicapped passengers rather than put the passenger or flight crew on blast.
Write an article about that and start an initiative next time.
Please write one for us Elizabeth. A reply here is a good start.
Maybe I'll setup a gofundme for you.
Can’t wait for the videos of duct taped 7 year olds being forcibly injected with a vaccination while their wailing mother cries watching. Americans are so militant and authoritarian.
That’s why you fly business…
I'm sorry but in all the duct tape cases I have seen I feel the airline staff was justified in their actions. They are not only protecting their lives but every person on that plane n 40000 feet in the air is not the time or the place to discuss shit you start acting in a manner that is considered hazardous you get restrained n if the issue is with the method of restraint then give the flight attendants a bag of zip ties
I would like to know why duct taping a violent passenger is wrong. The duct take just will hold them in place and doesn't hurt them and prevents them from hurting someone else until the authorities can take over. I suppose people are just supposed to sit there and let someone kick and scream? If the plane has other restraints, then use them. If not, then use duct tape. Whatever gets the restraint done without further injury to anyone.
Happy to see airlines finally offering free child care services.
I’ll give OMAAT the benefit of doubt here since there was a correlation between another incident involving a passenger being duct taped to a seat. Otherwise you wouldn’t want to report an incident involving a growing 13 yr old boy with autism.
Glad i re read the article. Well written conclusion. I’m smarter than the average Gov DeSantis supporter.
I would like to hear the reactions of these bleeding hearts if they had been on that plane. I don't care how old he was he was out of control. And seemed to get worse. The mother should have had meds to keep him calm. I'm tired of people making excuses for incidents like this. She knew there was a chance this would happen but she didn't bother telling anyone because she knew they would...
I would like to hear the reactions of these bleeding hearts if they had been on that plane. I don't care how old he was he was out of control. And seemed to get worse. The mother should have had meds to keep him calm. I'm tired of people making excuses for incidents like this. She knew there was a chance this would happen but she didn't bother telling anyone because she knew they would never been allowed to board. Flying is stressful enough without this being thrown in the face.
I'M BLAME THE MOM CAUSE IF YOU KNOW YOUR CHILD IS ARTISTIC THEN DO RESEARCH BEFORE PUTTING a child on a long flight
If my child was artistic, I'll be so happy.
Careful if your child gets too artistic and draws something that loosely resemble a weapon or explosive device, your child will be restraint and flight diverted.
If your child is not white, the authorities will board the plane with weapons out of their holster.
Your child's crayon or pencil will be considered a weapon.
Welcome to America.
This makes me so sad that an autistic kid is taped to a seat. Obviously if someone who’s acting up, then they need to be restrained for everyone’s safety. Maybe next time when they travel, she should feed him Benadryl before hand. It calms the kid down and makes him sleepy. Next thing you know, you arrived at the destination. No fuss no muss.
Personally, I have *zero* problems with duct taping any out-of-control passenger to their seat. It's not even a tough call. Then ban them permanently. Enough of this BS.
It was an autistic child. Not some drunk on spirit airlines.
On a plane at 10,000 ft it doesn’t matter who it is. The flight attendants have to consider the safety of ALL the passengers…and the plane itself. Duct tape will come off.
@NYGuy24 The autistic child is still an out-of-control passenger.
Hey, let's take our autistic, violently-behaving son to Hawaii with his one-armed mom. What could go wrong, really? Lol.
I agree with Steve. They need to bring back the seat back screens. It worked great entertaining my children through the years on many long flights.
If that was the solution, then why didn't the mom have an iPad to give to her potentially violent autistic son?
I'm all for the newfound balls flight crews have. If duct tape is the great mediator, then use the hell out of it. It's not like you have another choice when someone is trying to kick out a window on a plane
I was on a flight over the weekend and behind us was a male ??30 year old with ?spastic muscle disease of some kind and ??some autism?? He was helped to his seat(wheelchair bound) and seemed to get very agitated stomping his feet and making loud noises. His Mom started singing to him and talking softly and it a few minutes he was much calmer. It avoided maybe something like the above incident. ALso why...
I was on a flight over the weekend and behind us was a male ??30 year old with ?spastic muscle disease of some kind and ??some autism?? He was helped to his seat(wheelchair bound) and seemed to get very agitated stomping his feet and making loud noises. His Mom started singing to him and talking softly and it a few minutes he was much calmer. It avoided maybe something like the above incident. ALso why so MANY DOGS traveling again and their humans have to board early for some reason esp if there are 2 dogs and their beds etc!!!
Some 13 year olds are adult size. Enough of the excuses. ADD ADHD Autism Spectrum, Its not all right to act like this and its not all right to let your children act like this.
Found the person who knows nothing about what autism is actually like…comparing it to ADD and ADHD? I’d shut up before you embarrass yourself further.
Umm you clearly have NO idea what you are talking about. Maybe get educated about autism before running your mouth?
Every material has a critical force at which it fails. I do not know what airplane windows are made of (likely a glass-ceramic composite), but repeated impulse kicks from the strongest muscle group in the human body could very well cause it to fracture. If a crack or fracture were to occur, the sudden shift in cabin pressure and change to the plane's structural aerodynamics could cause the plane to crash. Either way, at 10,000...
Every material has a critical force at which it fails. I do not know what airplane windows are made of (likely a glass-ceramic composite), but repeated impulse kicks from the strongest muscle group in the human body could very well cause it to fracture. If a crack or fracture were to occur, the sudden shift in cabin pressure and change to the plane's structural aerodynamics could cause the plane to crash. Either way, at 10,000 ft, you don't have an engineer from Airbus to assess the potential for catastrophic failure, so the flight crew must error on the side of protecting its passengers' lives.
AA was entirely justified in strapping this kid down to his chair with whatever means they had at their disposal. I feel bad that he's autistic, but 10,000 ft is not the place to screw around.
It seems to me the 13 year old was more likely to cause an emergency than suffer from an unrelated one (being taped and an emergency happened). It seems like lately everything is the airline's fault.
If somebody cannot control their child (for whatever reason) maybe they shouldn't be flying.
Please don’t quote the homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic and xenophobic Daily Fail. They distort the facts to their narrative and don’t give people fair treatment.
on the child who was taped to his seat, or anyone else for that matter that is taped to their seat, what happens if there is an emergency and they need to get off the plane quickly? what then? does the taped person just sit there and die?
Have you ever tried to remove duct tape? its pretty dang easy. just poke a hole in it and start tearing. Beautiful stuff. But of course you just wanted to be difficult. Maybe we should tape your hands away from the keyboard. ;)
After you're done duct taping someone, now you want to poke holes?
You are a cold blooded ghost.
By the way has anyone here do an Edward Fortyhands before?
@John. I think the actual emergency takes priority over hypothetical one. If you don't consider a 13 year old autistic kid having a violent outburst in a small confined space an emergency then I don't know what is.
Uggh, was my first reaction to another duct tape incident. But I actually feel bad for the child and his mother. I have two challenging boys the age of this kid. We travel a lot as a family (and I hold my breath every time) and had this happened to me I can’t help but wonder if there could have been a way to work with the kid to reduce his anxiety versus resorting to physical constraints. The long term psychological trauma seems likely.
Is that the responsibility of the mother or the flight crew? I don't think we even know enough about what was attempted, but if your answer is "the flight crew should have given him an iPad to calm him down" then my answer is that the mother should have had an iPad to calm him down.
Sounds like it’s time to have a more sophisticated restraint system on planes. This could help with senseless diversions that cost thousands of dollars, are incredibly inconvenient for hundreds of people, and bad for the environment.
Bravo AA!
This is Part I of the story, what happens next? Does AA rebook this family on the same flight the next day? What would preclude a similar problem? I curious how an airline handles these types of unfortunate events.
I think @jack is correct... they are not supposed to show themselves for something minor like this...
HOWEVER... I do believe times have changed... and maybe they should now?
Things are NOT getting better anytime soon. Masks are here to stay... COVID is too... Anti and Pro vaxers... Pro and Anti Trumpsters... This is only going to get worse.
They really shouldn't. Otherwise hijackers can just send one of their own to be disruptive to identify the marshal, then take him out.
@David
Best way to take out a hijacker is a hot oven rack from the galley bring back hot food.
This doesnt happen if there are IFEs on the plane, the kid would have been entertained watching tv and movies. Im not joking.
what happened to all the air marshals? They're always in movies. I mean, whenever there's a disruptive person, it's always nearby passengers who have had to help intervene.
Air marshals will only intervene in an actual, life-threatening emergency. If it's something the flight attendants can take care of on their own, they won't make themselves known. They're there to stop hijackings and murders - not disruptive pax.
And snakes on a plane.....
Less than 1% of flights have an Air Marshal, so chances are there wasn't one on the plane.
I'm not sure how I feel about duct tape vs. other kinds of restraints, but what would you recommend if a passenger needs to be restrained? Kicking out windows, trying to open cabin doors, trying to get into the cockpit...
At some point, the FAs are just trying to make sure no one does anything to harm other passengers or take a plane out of the sky.
I dunno. Do I love the idea of...
I'm not sure how I feel about duct tape vs. other kinds of restraints, but what would you recommend if a passenger needs to be restrained? Kicking out windows, trying to open cabin doors, trying to get into the cockpit...
At some point, the FAs are just trying to make sure no one does anything to harm other passengers or take a plane out of the sky.
I dunno. Do I love the idea of duct tape? I don't. DO I love the idea that the crew was able to have this end safely? I sure do.
Unfortunately, some kids on the spectrum can be incredibly violent and difficult to calm down. It's unfortunate when it happens on a plane but there has to be a better solution than duct taping him to his seat.
Tell us the "better solution." If it's so obvious it should be at the tip of your tongue.
Listen, this is obviously suboptimal, but I find it laughable that other posters response is "don't worry, he can't kick out the window." So they should have just let the kid keep kicking and the other kid disrupting the flight (and instigating the "kicker"). If you haven't tried to handle an out of control 13 year...
Tell us the "better solution." If it's so obvious it should be at the tip of your tongue.
Listen, this is obviously suboptimal, but I find it laughable that other posters response is "don't worry, he can't kick out the window." So they should have just let the kid keep kicking and the other kid disrupting the flight (and instigating the "kicker"). If you haven't tried to handle an out of control 13 year old boy in a very confined space, maybe you should try that first and then get back to us on "better solutions."
Do they really have no other restraints other than duct tape? I mean at least some sort of fabric belt to serve the same purpose? I have a hard time believing that airlines consciously have decided that duct tape is the best restraint (or alternatively that they had no plan on what to do when they need to restrain someone and had to improvise with what they had).
If it ain't broke, don't fix it
I would imagine duct tape is the most cost effect and versatile tool for a plane to carry.
Duct tapes are actually really great. They're cheap, ubiquitous and versatile, and unlike things like hand cuffs or zip ties, you're unlikely to hurt yourself even if you struggle against it since there's little wiggle room and they're soft.
They told us that reducing leg room wasn't a problem but clearly the right spaces are making people violent.
Bring back 36 inch legroom
Pretty strange story. They tape a thirteen-year-old to his seat, but it's his brother, who doesn't seem to get taped, who tried to kick the window out. Definitely more information needed here.
This is the kind of garbage that happens when airlines sell tickets for $99 each way to the islands. Hawaii is meant to be a luxury destination. Not somewhere that every Tom, Dick and Harry can afford to visit for a few hundred bucks. Want tropical on a budget? Stick to Mexico. Hopefully this group gets put on the no fly list going forward.
Woof I smell some elite ass.
By your logic only first class tickets should be offered to hawaii? You think there are no drunks in first? I've had pill popping booze heads on my 1st class flights too.
Bob,
Next time can you ask for the number of their pill dealer?
Asking for a friend.
Ideally, yes. This island is dramatically overly saturated with tourists. An island of under 150k with 80k tourists on any given day is unsustainable. This is in no small part due to the airlines offering fire sale rates that draw in the less than desirable crowds. There are of course many other factors, but it starts with the airlines getting them here. Thank god Spirit and Frontier don’t fly to the islands, or this would be a weekly occurrence or more.
Then leave your family home next time.
@Maui. Try flying private (if you can afford it). Thanks, everyone.
@Steven. I live on Maui. Why would me flying private solve anything? This comment seems to be a needless dig that adds nothing to the conversation.
@Maui the price of tickets has no correlation to disruptive behavior. Alcohol, drugs, mental instability and just being an entitled asshole are to blame. Sorry Hawaii is not just a luxury destination. At least Mexico is more welcoming that people like you. Without tourist, Hawaii is just a big pineapple plantation.
No correlation? Not even a slight correlation? Is that your scientific conclusion? Surely you must have done extensive analysis to reach such a conclusion. You’re correct Hawaii is not just a luxury market(anymore). This has been caused by airlines flooding the market with cheap tickets, massive quantities of people from the mainland operating largely illegal vacation rentals. All while destroying the quality of life for the locals. By all means, please go to Mexico. Hopefully...
No correlation? Not even a slight correlation? Is that your scientific conclusion? Surely you must have done extensive analysis to reach such a conclusion. You’re correct Hawaii is not just a luxury market(anymore). This has been caused by airlines flooding the market with cheap tickets, massive quantities of people from the mainland operating largely illegal vacation rentals. All while destroying the quality of life for the locals. By all means, please go to Mexico. Hopefully you enjoy the friendly welcoming party of cartels and criminals. Hawaii will be just fine without your few bucks being thrown around. I guess we’ll have to all go back to the pineapple fields.
Not sure there was a good solution here if the situation is as presented -- autistic kid and disabled mother. You have an obligation to protect other passengers AND treat this kid with respect and dignity.
How impossible would it be to *actually* kick out a window? If it's virtually impossible - as I expect that it is - restraining him and continuing to California seems like the best decision.
Agree! A sad situation all around and maybe became something it didn’t need to be. Granted this is an armchair jockey perspective.
Exactly, and flight crews (should) know that it's impossible to kick out a window and should have handled the situation differently.
It's official, cabin crews have way too much power and lack the responsibility.
This is a new low (again) for authoritarian flight crews exercising their post 9/11 super powers.
I used to question this few months back when JetBlue diverted because a junkie threaten the crew with a feather. The hate I...
Exactly, and flight crews (should) know that it's impossible to kick out a window and should have handled the situation differently.
It's official, cabin crews have way too much power and lack the responsibility.
This is a new low (again) for authoritarian flight crews exercising their post 9/11 super powers.
I used to question this few months back when JetBlue diverted because a junkie threaten the crew with a feather. The hate I get for calling out authoritarian flight crews last time. But I still stand by my statement which makes me feel like I can't breathe. Someone gofundme this family to hire a lawyer, I'm totally in.
I also don't condone disruptive behavior to flight crew or anyone, nor do I support drug use.
By the way, were they seated in an exit row?
What is your solution then genius?
If you were the flight crew 30,000ft in the air and had just the provided limited resources what would you do?
While the cabin pressurization system along with strong and thick windows, makes the window incredibly difficult to break, like anything else is is capable of being broken. Not to mention the child could have hurt himself, or others in the attempt to kick out the window.
Your statement regarding “authoritarian flight crews...
If you were the flight crew 30,000ft in the air and had just the provided limited resources what would you do?
While the cabin pressurization system along with strong and thick windows, makes the window incredibly difficult to break, like anything else is is capable of being broken. Not to mention the child could have hurt himself, or others in the attempt to kick out the window.
Your statement regarding “authoritarian flight crews exercising post 9/11 super powers” is one of the most ignorant things that I have ever had the displeasure of reading. The life saving safety measures that were put in place after 9/11 are there to prevent any tragedy of that magnitude from ever happening again.
Once you’ve caught your breath from the statement that took it away, since you’re clearly so knowledgeable in both cabin safety and aero engineering, why don’t you go apply for the FAA so you can grace them with your ideas.
After you’ve done that, why don’t you also make a gofundme page for the flight crew and passengers that were affected by 9/11.
Lastly, given you are so well versed in all things airline industry I would’ve thought you’d know the answer to your question about if the passengers were in the exit row. Let me jog your memory, the answer in short is no. For starters you must be at least 15 years old to be seated in the exit row.
@Elizabeth -- Challenge accepted.
1. "Not to mention the child could have hurt himself, or others in the attempt to kick out the window."
So for the child's own good, the crew decides for you. Tell me how is that not authoritarian?
1.1 "like anything else is is capable of being broken" bonus
Maybe if you studied physics you would understand. Sure with proper equipment, you can break anything (with the help of...
@Elizabeth -- Challenge accepted.
1. "Not to mention the child could have hurt himself, or others in the attempt to kick out the window."
So for the child's own good, the crew decides for you. Tell me how is that not authoritarian?
1.1 "like anything else is is capable of being broken" bonus
Maybe if you studied physics you would understand. Sure with proper equipment, you can break anything (with the help of physics). But just like normal people can't lift a car over their head with bare hands, a child without proper tools can't kick out a window at that altitude.
2. Tell me how can this particular case even slightly lead to "tragedy of that magnitude"?
3. I'm not even with FAA and I have these questions from you, imagine the bureaucracy and the public, it's like you times a million. I'll probably spend more time answering the public than actually fixing things.
4. 9/11 is already better funded, they are called VCF.
5. Oh I am well aware of that. What I am not sure is what is exactly going on in THAT flight. The video doesn't explicitly show that. It's public questions like these that waste time and resources.
Next question please?
Yeah, because the cracking of the initial plexiglass layer and the surrounding cosmetic plastic surely won't cause panic from others around them at 30k feet. You are beyond dense.
I'm not sure that restraining an autistic child for 7 hours to continue to LA fulfils the duty of care. Nice armchair jockey work from those saying the flight attendants mishandled it.