A couple was arrested and escorted off a flight to Las Vegas on Tuesday, August 20 after they refused to leave due to the male passenger's head shedding blood. The man's appearance alarmed passengers and attendants, seeing a clear cause for concern if the flight had taken off.
A Hair-Raising Incident
Eugenio Ernesto Hernandez-Garnier, 27, boarded an American Airlines flight at Miami International Airport with his wife, Yusleydis Bianca Loyola, 32. Passengers and attendants immediately started to notice Hernandez-Garnier's head dripping with blood and his bandages failing to stay on.
According to the couple, Hernandez-Garnier recently had hair transplant surgery. Attendants told the couple to clean his head and replace the bandages, though Hernandez-Garnier did not have any spare bandages on hand. It was shortly after the staff deemed they couldn't serve the couple due to the concern of the man's wellbeing and possible contamination of his blood on the flight.
The incident between the couple and crew escalated to the point where the couple was asked to leave the flight before it could take off to Las Vegas. Both Hernandez-Garnier and Loyola refused, stating if they couldn't fly, "No one else could either".
The other passengers were evacuated from the plane until the couple was removed and the plane was cleared for flight.
Police arrived to arrest the couple and charge them of trespassing and resisting an officer without violence. The couple was forced off the plane in handcuffs to a chorus of reported cheers from passengers waiting to start their flight.
Loyola had streamed the incident on TikTok, which users have uploaded to X. In the footage, the couple is arguing with officers while no other passengers are present.
After The Incident
The couple was taken to the Jackson West Medical Centre in Florida over concerns from the bleeding, with them being taken afterwards to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, as reported by local authorities.
Loyola claimed in another video on her TikTok channel under the name "La Pony" that she too was getting a form of cosmetic surgery. It was believed that Hernandez-Garnier and Loyola came from Las Vegas to Miami to have their surgeries and were looking to fly back home.
Bleeding is customary following hair transplant surgery, so those who are curious can be rest assured that it isn't a botched operation. Depending on the patient, the bleeding should last for one to seven days following the surgery. Unfortunately, the couple did not properly prepare for the flight to Vegas or wait long enough for the bleeding to minimize.
Given the series of events, the couple likely booked their surgeries and plane tickets in advance and on back-to-back days to save time, but when it comes to surgeries with noticeable bloodshed, it comes with many risks and uncertainties when you plan to fly in public very shortly after the operation. American Airlines did rightfully see the man's appearance as a safety concern and the staff did give several warnings for the couple to leave to avoid any police confrontations.
But what are your thoughts? Should American Airlines have tried to treat Hernandez-Garnier? Have you flown with a passenger post surgery before? Share us your thoughts in the comments section below!