Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. When a Southwest Airlines flight attendant asked a passenger in the last row to prepare for landing on Sunday, the woman leaped to her feet, video shows. General population? Should have received 5 years in jail for that. Instead, Quinonez began recording the attendant on her cellphone, pushed her, then stood up and punched the woman in the face and grabbed her hair before other passengers intervened, authorities said. WebA Southwest Airlines flight attendant was assaulted by a passenger and lost two teeth in the attack last weekend, according to a union president. Lyn Montgomery, the president of TWU Local 556, outlined some of the disruptive behavior ina letterto Southwest CEO Gary Kelly on Monday. It is proven now, without beyond a shadow of a doubt that they failed us, Massoni said. The union said a lack of hot food and sometimes even hotel rooms leave flight attendants with little to eat and sometimes sleeping on the airport floor. The assault came amid a surge of unruly and violent behavior by passengers who shoved, struck and yelled at flight attendants. Delta: Delta is cutting 100 daily flights this summer. Vyvianna Quinonez now faces at least 20 years in prison. According to reports, as the plane began its descent, a flight attendant asked a 29-year-old woman to put on her seatbelt, stow her tray table, and put on her face mask properly. On February 9, Captain Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airline Pilot Association (SWAPA) testified before the US Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee during a hearing about strengthening airline operations. Creating a modern reserve system that meets the needs of both the operation and employees and ending the unsafe practice of putting flight attendants on 24-hour on-call shifts. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Dao got his ass beat by the police not United crew. A witness claims the flight attendant provoked the incident. Perhaps people may consider not flying with that airline after the incident. Wtf is wrong with you? Aquino-Washington's attorney, KenDrell Collins with the Federal Public Defenders Office in Little Rock, described his client's actions that day as being brought on by what he said was later diagnosed as having bipolar disorder that she is now being treated for. According to Southwest Airlines flight attendants are set to hold an informational picket Thursday. I think hes shedding a tear and anger toward management of Southwest Airlines right now. WebPros: "Southwest Airlines really does have great people. It was all over Johnny Jet , August 6, 2021 Travel Video of the Week: Alaska Airlines Safety Dance A new video emerged showing the moment a Southwest Airlines passenger assaulted a flight attendant. Last November, a woman was arrested at Dallas Love Field after punching a female flight attendant for Southwest Airlines during boarding. American Airlines flight attendants union and the airline's management requested federal mediation from the National Mediation Board on Friday. This means that the approximately 16,000 flight attendants employed by the airline have been working without a new contract for four years. Her chosen profession, after all, has been a master class in getting disorderly people to do what she wants, wrote The New York Times in a 2019 profile. Please reload the page and try again. Woman Who Punched Southwest Flight Attendant Gets 15 Months In Jail, The passenger who punched a Southwest flight attendant, Passenger faces 15 months in jail for assault, Pro-Life Ex-Southwest Flight Attendant Wins Lawsuit, Awarded $5.3 Million, Southwest Airlines Launching Miami Flights: Here Are The Routes, Passenger Kicked Off Flight Because Someone Misunderstood His Arabic, Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners, Wont be allowed to fly for three years while on supervised release, Must participate in an anger management class or counseling. SAN DIEGO A California woman who punched a Southwest Airlines flight attendant in the face during a flight, breaking her teeth, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. Let me be clear: we messed up, said a draft of prepared Senate testimony from Watterson viewed by The Dallas Morning News. What happened in December is completely unacceptable.. Community Informational picketing is common during times of contract negotiations, and Southwest respects our Flight Attendants right to conduct such events to express their viewpoints, said Southwest Airlines when contacted for comment on todays protest. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? Lifestyle Early next week, the union intends to present its proposals for wage improvements, including boarding pay, to the company. If you watched the video you would see that someone did come to the help of the flight attendant in the few seconds it took to get out of his seat. The flight attendant bumped into Hsu who was traveling in first class, the source said. Upon arrival, police were told that Aquino-Washington, while onboard the flight from Nashville, Tenn. to San Antonio, Texas, removed her face mask several times and became combative when told to put it back on. The passenger, Vyvianna Quinonez, allegedly punched and grabbed the hair of the female flight attendant, who lost two teeth and suffered other injuries to her face on the May 23 flight from It comes after an off-duty Southwest Airlines pilot was accused of assaulting a flight attendant in a California bar during a confrontation over masks. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. 10 year ban on flying. In a statement, the airline said it hope the mediation process would help the maintain the positive momentum in contract talks. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Vyvianna Quinonez now faces at least 20 years in prison. Websouthwest airlines pilot dies of covid. 2:22 PM on Mar 3, 2023 CST. Business Prosecutors said Vyvianna M. Quinonez, 29, of Sacramento, will also have to pay nearly $26,000 in restitution and a $7,500 fine for the May 2021 attack, which was widely viewed online. A video sent to FOX40 by another passenger and local veterinarian shows what appears to be that same woman being escorted off the plane bythe Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department. "She's been working consistently, living her own life and doing all of the things she's supposed to do. LITTLE ROCK -- A Texas woman who pleaded guilty to involvement in an altercation aboard a Southwest Airlines flight in which a flight attendant's jaw was broken was sentenced Thursday to five years on federal probation by a judge who questioned why the woman was not charged with a felony. He was exceptionally entertaining very helpful, made it fun. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Wow. While weve seen a huge uptick in passengers misbehaving on flights since the start of the pandemic, this has to be among the worst behavior weve ever seen on a plane. Then Vyvianna Quinonez, 28, punched the flight attendants face, video captured by another passenger and obtained by the Sacramento Bee shows. Paying flight attendants for time worked, including when passengers are boarding and when flight attendants are required to work outside of hours originally scheduled. I was about to go there to, Hey, take it easy. I was about to stand up and this lady stood up and pow, Arai said. They were just like do this, dont do that, dont do this, dont do that. Then even the flight attendant said, Dont touch me, Arai recalled. The Department of Justice has now filed charges against 20-year-old Brian Hsu with interference of a flight crew and assault. 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CBS13 spoke with a passenger who was on the plane when it happened. 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Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. I dont know what makes somebody do such a stupid thing, I honestly dont, Stidham said. by: Melanie Townsend, Jonathan Taraya, Nexstar Media Wire. Southwest has been under fire from travelers since the meltdown when 16,700 flights were canceled in the final days of December during the busy holiday travel period. I think the airline should be required to have some sort of compensation or benefit for the other passengers on the flight. What happened on Flight 700 was absolutely horrific, wrote Sonya Lacore, a vice president at Southwest. A flight WebFederal charges were filed Wednesday against a passenger accused of striking a Southwest Airlines flight attendant in the face during a May flight to San Diego. The flight attendant was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital for treatment of serious injuries, according to police. Could warmer storms melt Californias snowpack? Glenroy was our main flight attendant. "The passenger was taken into custody by local law enforcement officers, and our Employee was transported to a local hospital, where she remains with multiple injuries in stable condition," the spokesperson said. Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying throughout the COVID-19 pandemic for a well-known European airline. Picketers stood along Herb Kelleher Way with signs that read Southwest Airlines, its time. Video that quickly went viral on Twitter shows a man walking up to a gate agent and throwing a punch. In the beginning, they were not arguing. It shows a Southwest Airlines flight attendant speaking with Quinonez in the back row of an airplane. Video that quickly went viral on Twitter shows a man walking up to a gate agent and throwing a punch. Stay connected with the latest travel, aviation, and credit card news. On May 23, 2021, near the end of a flight from Sacramento to San Diego, a flight attendant asked Ms. Quinonez to buckle her seatbelt, put up her tray table and wear her face mask properly, prosecutors said. Required. With the Make It Right slogan, the union is negotiating several improvements to their working conditions. The disruptions in December paralyzed travel for more than a week before and after Christmas as about 2 million passengers lost seats on flights. Here's what to know if yours if one of them. She also grabbed her hair before the woman was able to move back up the aisle. I think this is just a situation where probation will be appropriate. "That way we can be assured she is getting mental health treatment," Bryant said. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. What happened during the holidays is an outward reflection of what is internally wrong at Southwest Airlines, President and Lead Negotiator of TWU Local 556 Lyn Montgomery told KTNV. Emirates Wants to Massively Expand its Operations in India By Adding 50,000 Seats Per Week. All Rights Reserved.. Winter Storm Causes Flight Cancellations, Delays Across North Texas, Southwest Passengers Could Be Stranded Until The New Year, Southwests Refund Process Seems Like A Mess, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. The passenger accused of punching a Southwest Airlines flight attendant and breaking three of her teeth on a May flight now faces federal felony charges. The passenger had several prior state and local convictions for lewd and lascivious conduct. The two men are then pulled apart by other Southwest Airlines employees. This unprecedented number of incidents has reached an intolerable level, with passenger non-compliance events also becoming more aggressive in nature, wrote Montgomery. The spokesperson declined to comment further about what prompted the argument. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ", Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Lawsuit filed against Roseville restaurant for its, Event-filled March at the Golden 1 Center, Body found in Feather River is that of woman reported, Volatile environment: Southwest Airlines passenger knocks out flight attendants teeth, union says, Best smart home devices for older users, according, How to get started on spring cleaning early, according, Worried about your student using ChatGPT for homework? During the flights final descent, the attendant had asked Quinonez to buckle her seat belt, stow her tray table, and put on her facemask properly. Aquino-Washington, who appeared via video-conference from her home in El Paso, read from a prepared statement to say she was "deeply sorry for the actions I did before my diagnosis. For the full year, its 2022 net income was $803 million. He vocalized that a fix was coming to the carriers crew scheduling software that same week. A Southwest Airlines flight attendant who lost two teeth after she was physically assaulted by a passenger on Sunday is among the more egregious examples of 0:00. Someone did come to her attention almost as fast as you could. Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant. Vyvianna M. Quinonez was sentenced to 15 months in federal custody on Friday. WebFederal charges were filed Wednesday against a passenger accused of striking a Southwest Airlines flight attendant in the face during a May flight to San Diego. The union is asking for better working conditions as well as a much-needed system update, Flight attendants protesting outside Dallas Love Field Airport. WebWhen a Southwest Airlines flight attendant asked a passenger in the last row to prepare for landing on Sunday, the woman leaped to her feet, video shows. In that case the sentencing happened a bit faster, as the flight only took place in early April of this year. https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/14/us/southwest-employee-assaulted-dallas-trnd According to HuffPost, this determination was made by the federal judge in San Diego on Tuesday, who also ordered Quinonez to pay almost $26,000 in restitution as well as a $7,500 fine. While the plane was preparing for landing, the flight attendant asked Quinonez to put her face mask on correctly, buckle her seat belt, and fold her tray table. Southwest passenger seen on video punching flight attendant WebAs of December 2022, Southwest Airlines operates 771 aircraft. A 32-year-old woman was jailed on aggravated assault charges after police alleged she got into a verbal dispute with two Southwest Airlines employees upon boarding a flight in Dallas and punched one in the head with Texas woman given probation for breaking flight attendants jaw during 2021 flight. Earlier this month, a California woman said a Southwest flight attendant called police on her while she was flying with her biracial daughter after suspecting her of human trafficking. After she was asked to get off the plane, Jackson then argued with another Southwest employee at the front of the plane. The federal mediator helps to facilitate discussions but cannot force either side to compromise in deadlocked talks. WebTwenty-five years as a United Airlines flight attendant makes Nelson, a rising star in the contemporary labor movement, uniquely suited for labor organizing. Last May, 29-year-old Vyvianna Quinonez of California punched a flight attendant in the face on a Southwest flight from Sacramento to San Diego. WebPros: "Southwest Airlines really does have great people. Alexandra has previously worked at the Oregonian in Portland, OR and The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, IA. Quinonez was booked into the Las Colinas Detention Facility. Pam and Jeremy Saldas planned to tie the knot in Vegas. One recorded footage of it on their phone. Recommended Stories. A California woman who punched a Southwest Airlines flight attendant mid-flight and broke her teeth has been sentenced to 15 months in prison.. Jackson boarded the flight at around 12.40 p.m. and argued with an airline employee at the back of the plane, a Dallas Police spokeswomen told Newsweek. The worst part is that all of this happened simply because the flight attendant was trying to get the passenger to comply with regulations. Receive the latest airlines news, delivered straight to your inbox. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. How upsetting for everyone on board and the poor Flight attendant. WebA Southwest Airlines flight attendant was assaulted by a passenger and lost two teeth in the attack last weekend, according to a union president, who complained to the airline's CEO Most were passengers refusing to follow the federal requirement for passengers to wear face masks while on planes, but nearly 300 involved intoxicated passengers, the FAA said. According to a statement released by SWAPA, pilots at the airline had been sounding the alarm about SWAs outdated crew scheduling and IT processes for years but the airline ignored their warnings. Learn how your comment data is processed. Attacks on flight crew members, who perform vital jobs to ensure passenger safety, will not be tolerated," U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a statement after the sentencing. Bryant did not ask for jail time for Aquino-Washington but instead asked for the statutory maximum of five years probation. TWU Local 556 is not the first workers organization to speak up after last years disaster. Vyvianna /s. Tomorrow we are picketing in Dallas! Texas woman given probation for breaking flight attendants jaw during 2021 flight. The warning was issued after it emerged that some flight attendants were unofficially working to rule, providing minimum levels of service to customers, or even refusing to perform some duties altogether. How you arrive at the airline should be punished is amazing. February 27, 2023 alexandra bonefas scott No Comments . Hes not shedding a tear in anger towards us. Health Maybe I can convince a crew member to assault me. Southwests operations chief Andrew Watterson was questioned by lawmakers in Washington on Feb. 9. ), Two United Airlines Pilots Sent For Additional Training After Boeing 777 Plunges 1,425 Feet Within Seconds Just After Takeoff, The Super Bowl Has United Airlines Flight Attendants On The Look Out For Human Traffickers Ahead of Mega Event, Emirates Cabin Crew Salary and Benefits 2021, Emirates Cabin Crew Recruitment The Complete Guide And Step-By-Step Process 2021, The Emirates Cheat Sheet for the Cabin Crew Open Day & Assessment Day 2018, Etihad Airways Cabin Crew Salary and Benefits 2020, Etihad Cabin Crew Recruitment Step by Step Process 2021, British Airways Cabin Crew Recruitment Step by Step Process 2022, NEW & UPDATED: British Airways Cabin Crew Salary and Benefits 2020, The British Airways Cheat Sheet for the Cabin Crew Assessment Day, The Qatar Airways Cabin Crew Open Day and Assessment Day: What Really Happens? pic.twitter.com/ghUWkBTGMm Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) September 2, 2021 A fight onboard a flight from Sacramento to San Diego resulted in a flight attendant getting punched. Dao is making it rain at strip clubs around the globe. WebTwenty-five years as a United Airlines flight attendant makes Nelson, a rising star in the contemporary labor movement, uniquely suited for labor organizing. Passengers deplane from a Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas at Hollywood Burbank Airport in Burbank, California, October 10, 2021. an off-duty Southwest Airlines pilot was accused of assaulting a flight attendant, a California woman said a Southwest flight attendant called police, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion.