An American Airlines flight from New York to Milan had to return to JFK Airport several hours after takeoff due to a disturbance involving an unruly passenger, according to those on board. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the incident.
Flight 198 departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport at around 7 p.m. on Monday. Approximately four hours into the trip, passengers were informed the plane would be turning around and heading back to New York.
Witnesses say the disruption began when a male passenger became upset after not receiving the meal he had requested and was told he couldn’t sit in an exit row with his baby. The situation quickly escalated.
“We kind of noticed a scuffle in the back. They were asking around if there were any police officers or Army members, or somebody who could help because there were no air marshals on,” passenger Krystie Tomlinson said.
“They were telling everyone that there were technical issues on the plane, which is even scarier,” passenger Michael Scigliano said.
Eventually, passengers realized the true cause of the chaos.
“There was apparently somebody in the back, he was charging at the stewardesses. At some point, he charged past all of our seats and tried to barge into the pilot’s cabin,” Tomlinson said. “Apparently, the whole thing started because of a meal choice they didn’t get. I guess they asked for it ahead of time. They never got exactly what they wanted. They also wanted to sit in an exit row. 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.”
“The guy was still in the back of the plane unprotected, unrestrained, which was a little bit scary considering we had a plane full of 300 people and there was no air marshal on board, and we’ve got this crazy man in the back,” Scigliano said.
The flight returned to JFK around 3 a.m., where passengers had to wait on the plane for law enforcement to remove the man.
“Oftentimes, these are mental health issues. We don’t know all the things that the pilot knows. Maybe the pilot felt, given the circumstances of disruption and the safety of other passengers, it was best to go back,” aviation trial attorney Robert Clifford said.
Although passengers were glad to be back safely, they criticized the airline’s lack of support.
“Back to New York at 3:30 in the morning. They offered us nothing,” Scigliano said.
“I asked to use the American Airlines lounge to breastfeed and change. They said you can go in if you pay $79,” Tomlinson said.
Passengers spent the night at the airport and were eventually rebooked on a new flight that departed around 11 a.m. Tuesday—16 hours after their initial departure.
According to the FAA, there have been over 1,800 reported incidents of unruly passengers in 2024. A police source said the man involved in this case was released without any criminal charges.
