Well, we’ve officially reached peak “Ohio man travels to Florida in 2021.”
In this post:
Frontier passenger assaults flight attendants, gets restrained
22-year-old Maxwell Berry of Ohio has been arrested following a Frontier Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Miami on Saturday, July 31, 2021. The man had allegedly consumed two drinks on the flight and then tried to order a third, at which point the issues really started (I’m guessing there may have been some pre-flight drinking going on). According to police reports:
- He assaulted a male flight attendant and inappropriately touched two female flight attendants, including grabbing their breasts
- He started yelling about how his “parents are worth more than f*cking $2 million g*oddamn dollars” (he’s going to be really sad when he gets to Miami and realizes that doesn’t impress people)
- He then started yelling in the cabin about how “you guys f*cking suck,” and about how his “grandpa is worth more than your f*cking life”
- When flight attendants asked him to calm down, he yelled “shut the f*ck up”
- When he refused to behave, flight attendants physically restrained him and duct-taped him to the seat; other passengers onboard found this satisfying and hilarious (can you blame them?), with many people filming, and the person seated behind him yelling “yo he is savage, though,” in regards to the flight attendant taping him to the seat
- Upon arrival in Miami, the man was arrested, and he has been charged with three counts of battery; presumably he could also face a significant fine as part of the FAA’s zero-tolerance policy for misbehavior
You can watch a couple of videos from the flight for yourself, though note that it has some bad language (as you may have guessed):
Frontier Airlines’ controversial statement
Following the incident, Frontier Airlines issued the following statement:
During a flight from Philadelphia to Miami on July 31, a passenger made inappropriate physical contact with a flight attendant and subsequently physically assaulted another flight attendant. As a result, the passenger needed to be restrained until the flight landed in Miami and law enforcement arrived. The flight attendants will be, as required in such circumstances, relieved of flying pending completion of investigation of the events.
Suffice to say that the airline got a lot of backlash. I get that an investigation needs to be done, but it’s absolutely bizarre that the airline would suspend the crew. I don’t ever recall an airline stating that crews would be “relieved of flying” until an investigation is complete following an incident like this, where a passenger was so obviously being abusive.
Flight attendants put up with way too much nowadays, and it’s clear that this guy was acting out of line. Doing anything other than backing up the flight attendants and recognizing what they go through way too often seems unfair.
Given the backlash the airline faced, it did change its stance a bit, promising to support and pay the crew:
Frontier Airlines maintains the utmost value, respect, concern and support for all of our flight attendants, including those who were assaulted on this flight. We are supporting the needs of these team members and are working with law enforcement to fully support the prosecution of the passenger involved.
The passenger is now speaking out
As noted by View from the Wing, the passenger who is the center of this incident is now Tweeting about what happened, and it’s more or less exactly what you’d expect. Among other things, he Tweeted:
- “This will forever be the most dehumanizing experience in my entire life. Many people laughed and ridiculed me as I was mistreated by staff of a PROFESSIONAL airline. Just to make matters worth this has gone ‘viral’ on the internet and will never disappear.”
- “Safe to say I’m never flying Frontier again”
- “#JusticeForMaxwellBerry”
- “To be clear I DID NOT GROPE ANYBODY. This is just the stupid narrative that the media is pushing”
- “You wanna see how rich I am? Everybody drop your cashapp below”
- “I could buy that jank ass airline if I wanted to. F*ck out my face”
- “Can somebody tell what the hell is funny about being duct taped to an airplane seat? I was treated like livestock”
Not a single “sorry for my behavior,” but rather he’s the victim and no one is untreated as fairly as him. And while I don’t have Cashapp, I’ve gotta say, I’m tempted to get one just for this. Of course he’s not going to send anyone anything, and even if he did, it’d probably be $5. He thinks that’ll prove how rich he is? Hmmm…
His past Tweets include great insights like:
- “Using a condom and still pulling out, call that 2 factor authentication”
- “Idk who needs to hear this but 6 inches is enough”
- “never seen a hispanic woman with a fat ass ngl”
Oh my…
Bottom line
A 22-year-old from Ohio got duct-taped on a Frontier Airlines flight to Miami over his behavior. After a few drinks he assaulted flight attendants, and they ended up restraining him. It really is amazing how versatile duct tape is, from fixing engines to controlling unruly passengers. It’s truly the unsung hero of the airline industry.
Bigger picture than just this event, it’s really sad how commonplace behavior like this has become. It’s no doubt a combination of factors — a mental toll from the pandemic and being stuck inside, a polarizing divide between people, increased frustration with airlines over mask mandates, etc.
Unfortunately the FAA’s zero-tolerance policy doesn’t seem to be acting as much of a deterrent for this kind of behavior.
I must be the only person that disapproves of duct taping or abusing a person. It is deeply disturbing that everyone supported inhumane treatment of this person. The airlines that are now using duct tape to torture passengers sets a dangerous precedent. The fact that this practice can kill is documented. Isn't anyone else concerned about the sick way everyone enjoyed the abuse so much? It was extreme. What if that was your son? Brother?...
I must be the only person that disapproves of duct taping or abusing a person. It is deeply disturbing that everyone supported inhumane treatment of this person. The airlines that are now using duct tape to torture passengers sets a dangerous precedent. The fact that this practice can kill is documented. Isn't anyone else concerned about the sick way everyone enjoyed the abuse so much? It was extreme. What if that was your son? Brother? Friend? We have troubled human beings that need our help in our society. There has to be a better way to treat other people. The airlines already abuse their customers, do we really support this escalation of the abuse? Why?
Maybe it's time for airlines/TSA to require sobriety tests at the gate.
I doubt a real rich man/woman would take Frontier airline ...
The problem is that we don't know what's going on here. Just because he was not appropriate with language he used or the way he spoke on the flight, that would not cause physical restraint. We do not know to what extent he assaulted the flight staff. These so-called cheap airlines are even less professional than the main carriers.
Gtfo James, stereotype much?
We have no idea if that Twitter account is his. It was created in January of this year and nobody has verified it's his account. It also is super random and only has a handful of tweets prior to this incident. It could be anybody.
The guy is Maxwell Berry. I believe the tabloids.
You can't go wrong with names that tabloids (or VFTW, or OMAAT) picked up.
They triple fact check (3 times more than Trump and 2 times more than Biden) on these stuff.
If it's one thing you can trust tabloids, it is the name of these morons.
The only part I objected to was duct taping his mouth. The a-hole could have died and then the crew would have been in trouble.
Full support for the flight crew. I would have been appalled at being on that plane with that jerk! He is a spoiled brat and thinks his parent's $2m is supposed to "allow" him to behave badly??? He should be prosecuted and banned from flying for at least a year.
@snowe
Look up the stats - average Biden voter is wealthier than MAGAZINE. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of people on welfare across both parties.
Not the main point but that’s not duct tape.
He's going to make some Florida attorney five figures and that attorney already regrets taking the case. Someone needs to introduce this idiot to STFU Friday. Or in his case, STFU Everyday.
Six inches are enough? Hahaha
Anyhow. You did that all to yourself, pal
This guy sounds like he's a punk, even when he's not drunk or high. Congrats to the crew for doing what had to be done and a big middle finger to Frontier for suggesting that they would suspend the crew for doing what they had to.
Agreed that this kid is awful.
Note that the Twitter video shows what appears to be the FA duct taping the kid's mouth at the end. it's hard to tell, but that's what I think I see. While he may have "deserved it," my guess is that Frontier and Frontier's attorneys will not find that to be acceptable.
Crews need danger pay when it comes to Florida ops.
The "six inches is enough" comment had me cracking up!!!!!!!
Perhaps he should be suspended from Twitter for a year...
He deserved what he got, but that is NOT duct tape. Duct tape is only one type of tape and that is not it. It was neither duct tape which is only a gray silvery color or Duck tape which is a brand of duct tape. That was packaging tape. So one might say he was packed to his seat.
If he's got so much money, why would he be on Frontier?
Zero tolerance will have more meaning when big fines and imprisonment start to be handed down.
Is anyone tracking these cases as they move through the punishment phase?
He said he’s never flying Frontier again, as he’s been blacklisted by them.
No remorse and the video shows him out of control, using profanities and hitting someone
If you’ve been charged with something, if you had any intelligence, you would remain quiet. He sounds like a twat
For future flights I will be packing my own roll of duct tape. May come in handy.
Welcome to biden's America. All his voters are coming out to play.
Take this sort of nonsense comment elsewhere.
My, the Maga-its have no where else to post their drivel now that most of the news sites closed down the cesspools that their comments sections had become, so they are now coming to travel blogs to post completely irrelevant nonsense. Go back under the bridge please!
I liked the comment "he’s going to be really sad when he gets to Miami and realizes that doesn’t impress people".
So true. Maybe 2 million dollars might impress some of the people flying Frontier, but not the Miami people!
“with many people filming” — what is it that people think they directly need to film stuff? Like dozens at the same time? So desperate for 5 minutes of internet fame? I don’t get it.
FAs should receive PAID leave...
The issue is safety and security not only of the flight, but also of the intoxicated passenger.
You cannot tape the mouth of a person as part of the restraint. On an aircraft, you can restrain the person using cuffs and tape and then place the passenger in a seat and fasten the belt.
Covering a person’s mouth who is intoxicated, having a mental breakdown or other medical issue is dangerous. Should the person vomit, they can suffocate inhaling the vomit.
“It really is amazing how versatile duct-taped is, from fixing engines to controlling unruly passengers.”
LOL! Oh that made my day :)
And saving the lives of Apollo 13 astronauts!
Lol. $2 mil get you a tear down SFH in SF… even now. While not a pocket change, certainly nothing to brag about. Why is he on Frontier if his family is so wealthy? I would think private jet would be more of his speed. Oh never mind, you need to be worth more than $2m to fly private comfortably… especially that $2m is not even his! I’m all for duck taping unruly passengers like...
Lol. $2 mil get you a tear down SFH in SF… even now. While not a pocket change, certainly nothing to brag about. Why is he on Frontier if his family is so wealthy? I would think private jet would be more of his speed. Oh never mind, you need to be worth more than $2m to fly private comfortably… especially that $2m is not even his! I’m all for duck taping unruly passengers like this. Luckily he would be banned for awhile on Frontier. Soon enough he will be banned across most US based airlines if he keeps on acting like an idiot on airplanes. There really should have a centralized list that airlines keep so that all these crazies can be banned. No one enjoys sitting next to these type of people. We just want to get to our destination without drama.
And they graciously put his mask on for him. So why wasnt he in 1st class? He certainly is a 1st class A hole.
Who would even get out of bed for $2 million? That won’t even get you within sniffing distance of anywhere nice to live.
Eh. Move on. An obnoxious, drunk trying to fight someone. See this everyday on the subways of New York.
Not a big deal to those of us who work and think 2million is a lot of money.
"He started yelling about how his “parents are worth more than f*cking $2 million g*oddamn dollars”
Yet here he is flying the the back of a Frontier airlines flight.
Simple reason why Soo many passengers re unruly is the so called "zero tolerance" rule is a joke. Take a page out of other countries that have rules and there is truly zero tolerance. You get arrested, go to jail and get fined - end of story. As a result people know better to not break the rules.
Ya cant even imagine what would happen in a place like Dubai or Singapore, if this same guy acted as such, especially after consuming drinks!
All unruly passengers should be duct taped. Korean Air carry tasers, or at least used to.
It is common to remove flight attendants from flying following incidents which could be considered traumatic for them. But I agree, that its weird that A) the airline commented on it at all and B) used that specific language.
"My parent's have $2 million!"
Lol, definitely the MAGA idea of what "wealthy" is.
So maga voters are more successful than you typical biden idiot on welfare.
the states that voted for Trump are the largest recipients for federal welfare, you uncooked noodle.
I’m sorry. “Recipients” means people who get something
Magas generally are not great at math and science. Of course maybe he thinks frontier economy is the new emirates 1st class.
Yeah, and places like Milwaukee and Philadelphia (both of which had over 100% of their registered vote go for Biden) are SO peaceful, civilized and educated. And Biden Baltimore had not one public school student test at a level of proficiency in math.
Prove that allegation that those cities had more voters for Biden than where registered.
And proper proof.
But you can't because it's false.
I think the funniest part is that this kid and people think $2M is wealthy. That is nothing today.
I think the funny part is thinking $2M is wealthy.
The funniest part is, that $2M isn't even his.
$2 million dollars is a lot of money.
$2.5m may not be "rich," but it puts you in the top 5% of American households, and that includes real estate equity. Only about 11% of Americans households are worth $1m or more.
Duct Tape is really the unsung hero of travel.
I always carry a mini roll, even though (because?) I'm a minimalist packer.
Duct tape really are not unsung heroes. All the engineers out there appreciate them very much.
From one engineer to the other, dork on. LOL :)
The young man was a danger to 100+ behaved passengers and sexual assault and assault lead to restraint. In the case of an emergency there would have been ample time to un tape him.
If the emergency occurred a mile in the sky, being restrain would have zero impact
Finally the crew was in fact first responders and should receive praise not suspension
If (you believe that) you are from a wealthy family, why are you flying Frontier?
Why does the author of this article find it odd that passengers would think it's satisfying to see the guy getting restrained by duct tape? (It's not duct tape btw) The passengers are happy as hell he's restrained and I'm sure hope he's miserable after what he's put them and the flight crew through.
What happens in an emergency if you’re taped to your seat?
Karma?
They deserve it?
The real answer should be from Aeroflot crews. It's more common than you think in Russia to be taped to your seat and other weird behaviors, especially to leisure destinations from Russia. First time I realize it's possible to run out of beer before 1st meal is even finished. They drank up the entire economy supply of a 777 in 2 hours!!!!!
@Eskimo
Unruly passengers deserve to die? Sorry I don't quite follow.
@David
Hence the 'question mark'
I did point out to where one could seek a better answer.
Can you follow yet?
Somehow consuming copious amounts of beer plus being duct taped to a seat doesn't sound like a winning combination to me.
Lesser of all evils, the rush of adrenalin from an emergency/panic is nearly guaranteed to make things worse...That guy is probably on drugs...
One fewer fool to block the door.
That's a reason to have a special seat and restraint designed for quick release in such an event. This should have been implemented long ago.
Id support mandatory training and equipment for FA's to restrain idiots in the sky
We need to block all flights to and from Florida until we can figure out what the hell is going on
Badda Bing!
Then build a wall around Florida, then make them pay for it
Florida agrees. Stop coming here!
Hotels, resorts, and entertainment venues are above 120% of pre-COVID levels. Flights are full.
Please stop coming here!
And hospitals!
Like your state is any better idiot smh
He’s from Ohio dummy
I wonder where they got the duct tape though...
Maybe the FA's had been preparing for this moment for a long time ;)
Other FA'S on other airlines have done this so it appears to be a standard item in their psycho passenger tool kit.....
Shame on you Frontier for suspending these heroes! These flight attendants deserve a promotion and a raise!!
Heroes?
While they had every right to secure the a-hole, let's hold the hero term for first responders and medical staff dealing with COVID.