Earlier this week, an American Airlines passenger in Santiago destroyed a ticket counter because he purchased his ticket online and it was not found in the system.
Rage in Chile
On Tuesday night, a passenger arrived at Aeropuerto Internacional Arturo Merino Benitez, also known as Aeropuerto Nuevo Pudahuel, for his
American Airlines
flight to
Miami International Airport
Upon going to the check-in counter, the passenger discovered that the airline could not locate his reservation. His reaction was to use a hammer to destroy computer equipment at the counter.
The passenger’s reaction shocked many airline staff and nearby passengers. Airport personnel detained the man who was then handed over to Carabineros, the Chilean national police. The next day, he was transferred to a detention center.
According to Cooperativa, police Lieutenant Manuel Narváez, said,
“In a moment of rage and revenge against the airline who had supposedly canceled the ticket, the passenger took a hammer out of his luggage, which he began to use to damage some of the airport equipment. In his statement to Carabineros, the passenger stated that he booked a flight to Miami online as he was on his way home to Haiti but the flight was never truly booked.”
The passenger caused damages of about 20 million Chilean pesos, equivalent to nearly $22,000 USD.
Recent passenger incidents
In February of this year, an American Airlines passenger
managed to sneak past security and board a flight
at Nashville International Airport (BNA) without a boarding pass or ID. The passenger managed to jump a barrier at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint and bypass gate agents to get on the plane. The flight was AA1393 to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Photo: Kit Leong | Shutterstock
Somehow, the passenger was only discovered midflight and law enforcement personnel met the flight when it landed in Los Angeles. American provided Simple Flying with the following statement,
“On Feb. 7, American Airlines flight 1393 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Safety and security are our highest priorities, and we are assisting law enforcement in the investigation.”
At the time, no charges had been pressed and the incident was being investigated. The TSA told Simple Flying,
“TSA is reviewing the circumstances of this matter but can confirm that the traveler in question was physically screened, along with their carry-on items, without incident at the Nashville International Airport security checkpoint on February 7th before boarding the flight. TSA and its airline partners are cooperating with the ongoing law enforcement investigation.”
According to the statement, the passenger was screened in Nashville, meaning she only managed to bypass the ID check. How she managed to get by anything, even with her bags, remains a mystery.