- An unruly JetBlue passenger claimed to be the “devil” on a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, forcing the plane to be diverted to Orlando
- The man beat his companion and at one point became so insane that she had to be taken to the plane's bathroom for her own safety
- The man was taken away in Orlando, but passengers faced a five-hour delay while they waited for the plane to refuel and find a new crew
Passengers on a JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale to Boston were forced to make an emergency landing in Orlando after a passenger ranted and called himself “the devil” while allegedly punching a woman traveling with him.
The incident resulted in JetBlue Flight 170 suffering a five-hour delay following the violent incident on Thursday evening.
The man, whose name is publicly known, threatened passengers around him and told them he was the devil.
He then attacked a woman who was traveling with him.
In a statement, JetBlue said the flight was “diverted to Orlando due to a disturbance between two customers on board.”
An unruly JetBlue passenger claimed to be the “devil” on a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, forcing the plane to be diverted to Orlando. The man sees himself being escorted off the plane. Police are seen talking to the pilot and cabin crew after they board the plane
“Two customers were released from the aircraft with the assistance of law enforcement and the flight continued to Boston with a delay,” the statement continued.
Flight attendants had to place the woman in the plane's lavatory for her own safety, WCVB reports.
Even then, the man continued to bang on the door to get her out.
A passenger filmed a video showing the crazy customer being escorted off the plane by police officers after the unscheduled landing in Orlando.
The man was wearing a hoodie and a baseball cap when he was taken away by officers.
The pilot, who had not initially informed the passengers of the change in their travel plans, was then heard explaining to his fellow passengers what was happening.
The man beat his companion and at one point became so insane that she had to be taken to the plane's bathroom for her own safety. Firefighters boarded the plane in Orlando to escort the crazy customer off the plane. The pilot, who initially didn't say it, could then be heard explaining the change in their travel plans to their fellow passengers about what was happening. Passengers will not receive any compensation for the five-hour delay
“We had a disruptive, violent passenger in the back,” the pilot said. “Unfortunately I couldn't make an announcement and give him a clue. “We didn't want to upset him any more than he already was, he attacked another passenger.”
The flight was delayed as the remaining passengers were forced to disembark in Orlando and the plane was refueled and crewed before it was allowed to take off again.
Orlando police later said the unruly passenger who caused the disturbance was not arrested.
“The individual was intoxicated and was transported by Orlando Fire Department to a local hospital for treatment,” a spokesperson said.
JetBlue has stated that they will not compensate passengers for the delay or disruption they encountered.
“This disorder is considered an uncontrollable disorder; “This means that it is due to events beyond JetBlue's control (e.g. air traffic control or weather disruptions) and unfortunately is not entitled to customer compensation or reimbursement of expenses,” it said in an email to a customer .