Nearly a dozen passengers were removed from an Alaska Airlines flight on Monday night, after airline officials said the group became disruptive as the plane prepared to leave Juneau, Alaska, for Seattle.
Alaska Airlines Flight 78 was taxiing on the runway at Juneau International Airport ahead of a scheduled 6 p.m. takeoff when it, instead, returned to the gate, Alaska Dispatch News reported.
Roy Lane, communications manager for Alaska Airlines, told the newspaper that flight attendants complained that 11 passengers weren’t following safety protocols ahead of departure. Officials said they ignored requests for them to stop charging their cellphones and fasten their seatbelts while they were playing loud music. They also “made inappropriate comments to the flight attendants,” the Dispatch News reported.
The passengers were asked to leave when the plane returned to the gate, Lane said. Other people who were part of their group were allowed to stay onboard, according to the Dispatch News.
"While this situation does not happen every day, it's not uncommon for us to have to remove passengers if they're behaving in a disruptive manner or not following crew member instructions," Lane told the newspaper. "To us, this is a safety issue. If a customer will not comply with crew member requests on the ground, it's not safe for us to allow them to fly until they demonstrate that they're willing to follow basic safety instructions."
The passengers who were removed from the plane were able to take another flight later Monday.
About the Author
