Sometimes it feels like no one knows how to act on airplanes anymore.
That’s an exaggeration, of course. The majority of passengers (as well as the majority of humans) have a grasp on basic human etiquette, and most flights take off and land without incident. Nevertheless, not a week goes by without a headline about a flight disruption, usually involving someone acting like a fool, and often necessitating an emergency landing and jail time.
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And now we can add another incident to the list. David Alan Burk of Texas, a first-class passenger on a Delta (DAL) Air Lines flight, is accused of "level 2 security threat" on a Delta flight 517 from Minneapolis to Anchorage, Alaska.
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Flight Incident Reported
Burk, who was reportedly intoxicated, according to Fox Business, has been accused of “forcing himself on a male flight attendant, kissing him on the neck, as well as breaking the tray and plate carrying the captain's meal.”
According to reports, Burk was initially upset that he did not receive his pre-flight drink, and became verbally aggressive with a flight attendant. He later received his drink, but when the attendant returned to pick up meal trays from the first class passengers, Burk reached out to forcibly shake his hand, according to the affidavit.
According to the reports, 10 minutes after the handshaking incident, Burk got up to use the restroom, but first stopped at the galley where the attendant was, stood near him and said ‘Oh, you’re so beautiful,'" the affidavit alleges.
After the attendant, identified in the affidavit as T.C., said thank you, Burk asked “Can I have a kiss?” to which he replied, “‘No, thank you.”
Burk then said, “Okay, well on the neck then,” and “then grabbed T.C.'s neck, pulling him toward BURK, and purposefully kissed T.C.'s neck,” according to reports.
The attendant told investigators he was "very uncomfortable and caught off-guard" by the alleged incident, according to the documents, and told other attendants he did not want to return to the front of the plane until Burk was back in his seat. The attendant later learned that Burk destroyed the tray and plate containing the captain of the plane's meal, which had not been served yet.
Another flight attendant agreed to switch places. Burk, who allegedly drank three glasses of wine, got up to use the bathroom and appeared "wasted," according to the affidavit. He then fell asleep, the documents say.
Passenger Arrested After Landing
T.C. told the captain about the incident, who alerted Airport Dispatch. Burk was identified as a security threat and security protocols were engaged. He was arrested when the plane landed in Anchorage.
In interviews with police, Burk denied the kiss, and said that he only drank one glass of red wine on the flight. He also denies getting up to use the bathroom. He is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on April 27.
"Delta has no tolerance for inappropriate behavior on any of our aircraft or ground facilities," the airline declared in a statement. "We are cooperating with law enforcement in this matter and thank the authorities for investigating and prosecuting unruly passenger conduct.”
Unruly airplane behavior has gotten so prevalent that Congress recently reintroduced the Protection from Abusive Passengers Act, which will ban passengers fined or convicted of serious physical violence from commercial flights.
The bill will also direct the Transportation Security Administration to create and manage a no-fly list and to create guidelines for appeal and removal from the list. It will also grant TSA flexibility in determining how long individuals may be barred from flying depending on the severity of the incident.
