A Flight Was Forced to Turn Around After a Passenger's Tantrum Over Their In-flight Meal

Travel and Leisure ^ | April 21, 2025 | Rachel Chang

[xxqqzz]

A recent flight to Italy was disrupted by a passenger who was upset about getting the wrong onboard meal. Before the plane turned back to the U.S., the man tried to charge into the cockpit. Passengers were stranded at their original airport for eight hours until their flight could take off again the next morning. Passengers on board a transatlantic American Airlines flight from New York City to Milan earlier this month were nearly at the the halfway mark of their eight-hour journey when they learned their plane was making a U-turn back to the U.S.

The reason: one disruptive passenger, whose tantrum was reportedly sparked over an in-flight meal order gone wrong, according to a CBS News report.

The flight departed on April 7 from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) at 7:07 p.m. local time, landing back at the same airport at 3:02 a.m., FlightAware data showed. Eventually the same flight number took off again on April 8 at 11:22 a.m., with the passengers arriving at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) at 12:12 a.m. local time.

A passenger told the network the debacle started because the unruly passenger didn't get their meal of choice, explaining that they requested the meal before the flight. But that wasn’t the only issue. “They also wanted to sit in an exit row,” they added. “They had a baby with them, so they told them they couldn't and apparently those two things are what pushed the person over the edge."

[HIDEK6]

The incessant misuse of plural pronouns is destroying the language and thought.

[Organic Panic]

I saw “man” once in the first paragraph. Probably an AI generated story.

[Allegra]

:D

[Vigilanteman]

I knew a pre-Communist Ethiopian in a previous life who told me their SOP for a hijacking attempt was to restrain the perp, wrap him in towels from the neck to the top of the torso, bleed him out with a boxcutter and dump his corpse on the tarmac once the plane was safely landed. The towels absorbed all the mess and were dumped with him. The plane would then taxi to the gate or stairwell as if nothing had happened on board.

It served as a grim warning to any would be jacker.

[Samurai_Jack]

their meal
they requested
They also wanted
they added
They had a baby
them, so
they told
them
they

*the person
...over the edge.

Using the plural to refer to the singular?
Serious torture of the english language.

Nothing shady about this style sheet at all. Move along.

[Hot Tabasco]

Hypoglycemic, maybe? I’ve seen that send people off the deep end.

I can understand that. I suffered from it when I was working and always took a bowl of cereal to work which I would eat mid morning.

[Chickensoup]

However, this was early in the article, “ the man tried to charge into the cockpit.” So at least we know it was a “he”.

.....

Not really...

[Chickensoup]

Jewish?

[Ann Archy]

Any picture???

[Chickensoup]

So essentially this individual HIJACKED the plane

[Lazamataz]

Acting up on an airplane is a very bad idea.

That said, if the person was allergic to an ingredient or had a religious reason for the food choice, I can understand anger.

However, there are other ways to approach the issue that do not result in your arrest and deplaning.

[Joe Boucher]

Been quite a long time since I was served an edible meal on a airline ride.

[newfreep]

"I hereby invite you all to get out of your seats, form a line, and one by one, do whatever you think is necessary to convince this individual to refrain from further disruption.

[Rlsau1]

this individual broke all kinds of US and International Flight Laws and is in line for some serious legal penalties, to say nothing of the potential civil liabilities. Typically, the airlines and authorities seldom met out the required penalties as they always accept some kind of excuse (alcohol, drugs, mental health, etc.) in an effort to make it go away. A never fly again list would be helpful for people like this, jail time, civil penalties, etc. would work as well. The authorities just need to do they job they are charged with.

[Jolla]

Dump significant fuel???

If they were half way when they turned around, uh, NO.

[dayglored]

That’s the one!! Thanks!!

[Albion Wilde]

I see that the woke use of the pronoun “they” to refer to an individual is gaining traction, although the writer of this article tired of it after a few sentences and finally called the passenger a “man.”

[Vaduz]

A passenger who was upset about getting the wrong onboard meal.

Tazer guns ends that type of hysteria they even pray OH GOD OH GOD.........................................

[Albion Wilde]

Couldn’t they have tied him down or given him a shot or something?

I thought of this as well; but the guy was traveling with a baby, of whom the crew would have to take custody for the rest of the flight. The passenger could try to make a case for kidnapping.

[Albion Wilde]

They tried to give him the fish.

...instead of the finger.

"One order of fish fingers—hold the fish!"