A Virgin Atlantic London to L.A. flight was diverted to Salt Lake City as one passenger became violent and extremely unruly. Salt Lake City police awaited the passenger who was being detained by both crew and passengers.
The Virgin Atlantic VS141 flight had to stop at Salt Lake City where police arrested the violent passenger. According to reports, the unruly passenger allegedly assaulted the flight crew and another passenger which resulted in minor injuries. He also allegedly kicked airplane seats and windows.
Virgin Atlantic said that a “disruptive passenger” caused the diversion to Salt Lake City from London to L.A, causing a 4 -hour delay for passengers. Police revealed the passenger William Stephen Hayes, was a 39-year-old United Kingdom resident.
Flight diverted to Salt Lake City due to unruly passenger aboard
Following the disruption, checks proved that there were no serious injuries or damages to the plane. The airline further denied previous reports that Hayes tried to breach the cockpit of the airplane. The SLCPD also confirmed that there was no evidence that Hayes attempted to breach the cockpit.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we don’t tolerate any behaviour that compromises this. We always want our customers to have the best experience when they fly with us and our cabin crew are highly trained to deal with any individuals that may impact that experience for others,” a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said in a statement.
Unruly passenger behavior is rampant at the moment and continues to be since the start of the pandemic. Frontier airline crew even had to duct-tape one violent passenger to avoid further violence while flying.
Related: 9 Craziest Fines Imposed By The FAA For Unruly Passengers