Vaping Passenger Chases Flight Attendant, Diverts American Airlines Flight

On Tuesday, an American Airlines flight from Milwaukee to Dallas-Fort Worth had to make a stop in Tulsa after an altercation between attendants and an unnamed passenger who refused to stop vaping in his first-class seat. Authorities had to get involved for the AA1733 flight to resume.

A "Fuming" Argument

American Airlines curated a flight from Milwaukee at around 5:30 p.m. CT. and was scheduled to make it to Dallas three hours later. However, an unruly male passenger in the first-class cabin had different ideas. He was allegedly vaping on the flight and refused to stop when asked by attendants.

Just like smoking, vaping is prohibited on flights by U.S. law. American Airlines also has policies on electronic cigarettes, stating that while you can store them in a carry-on bag, they can't be used during the flight Link.

Despite warnings about these restrictions, the passenger was reportedly "antagonized" and snapped back at a female attendant, chasing her into a galley before other passengers intervened. The passenger apparently claimed the attendant was making "false allegations".

Tethered In Tulsa

As the incident made rounds throughout the Airbus A319, the pilot then made the call to divert the flight to Tulsa to have the passenger removed from the flight.

The aircraft landed at Tulsa International Airport at 7:22 p.m. CT, where the process of removing the hostile passenger took a little over one hour. The passenger was taken into police custody and was transferred to the Tulsa Jail.
 

The diversion led to a 32-minute delay. The Airbus A319 left Tulsa at 8:22 p.m. CT and made it to Dallas at 9:06 p.m. The flight had 108 people aboard, including 103 passengers and five crew members.
 

Tulsa International Airport sent out an email to customers following the incident:

"American Airlines flight 1733, with service from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (MKE) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), diverted to Tulsa, Oklahoma (TUL) due to a disruptive customer. We thank our team for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."
 

A Tulsa airport spokesperson also noted to KFOR in Tulsa that the passenger "smelled of alcohol".

At this time, it's unknown what charges the vape user faces, but a past report suggests that violators can be subject to at least a fine of $1,700 for smoking on a plane Link. Additional charges might be added on considering other passengers witnessing volatile behavior on the flight.

Considering this was a short flight on a speedy Airbus jet, it's quizzical to hear about a passenger who can't be without vape sticks for a few hours. He probably figured that by flying first class he could live the "high life". While American Airlines can't prevent these situations from occurring, diverting the plane to remove the passenger was the right call, even if the flight was 75% completed. Planes are still reminding passengers not to smoke on flights Link , so the passengers likely had many chances to follow the rules.