A video appears to show two airplane passengers getting into a heated argument while onboard a flight, an argument that then led to a physical fight.
Two Men Fight In Front of Passengers
According to NBC News, the incident happened on a plane leaving out of Oakland, California.
The video shows a man in a baseball cap standing in the aisle of the plane and squaring off with a man standing in a row of seats.
The second man appears to slap the first on his arm before the former responds by throwing a punch at his face with his right arm and then several more punches.
Surrounding passengers attempt to intervene, with one yelling, “No way, no way!”
The man taking the video offered praise for a bystander — a man named Dan — who went on to speak what appeared to be calming words to the irritated man.
He said that in his view, the bystander used “textbook conflict resolution” techniques to calm the situation by “maintaining eye contact, using non-threatening body language and tactical empathy.”
“Our reports indicate that two Customers became disruptive onboard flight 1288 from Oakland to Lihue,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement obtained by NBC News. ”We commend our Crew and Customers for their professionalism in diffusing this situation. Our number one priority is the Safety and well-being of our Customers and Employees. The flight landed safely at its scheduled destination, and local authorities met the aircraft upon arrival.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation posted its own message on X, “Our department has zero tolerance for violent or unruly behavior aboard an aircraft. If you act out on an airplane, you can face criminal prosecution and fines up to $37,000.”