Passenger punches flight attendant on American Airlines

A 33-year-old man from California has been arrested after he punched a flight attendant onboard an American Airlines plane last week.

Alexander Tung Cuu Le was travelling to Los Angeles, California from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico when he punched the airline employee. The assault was filmed by another passenger on the flight on September 21. The video shows the man running towards the attendant and punching him.

The confrontation began after Le got up from his seat, and grabbed a flight attendant's shoulder to ask for coffee during beverage service. "After the flight attendant stepped back and put up a defensive posture, Le walked to the front of the airplane," the US Attorney's Office said in a statement.

"Le then allegedly loitered near the first-class cabin and then sat in an unoccupied aisle near the wall dividing the first-class cabin and the main cabin of the aircraft." When a different flight attendant asked Le to return to his seat, he took up a "fighting stance," and then punched the crew member.

Barrie Livingstone, who filmed the footage, told KTLA that the man got angry when he was not allowed to use the restroom in the front of the plane because he was not seated in first class.

The passenger was arrested by FBI agents and airport police upon landing in California. He was charged with interference with flight crew members.

American Airlines later issued a statement regarding the incident and said that Le would never be allowed to travel with the airline in the future. "We thank our crew for their quick action and professionalism to ensure the safety of their fellow team members and customers on board," American Airlines said.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there have been almost 2,000 reports of unruly passengers this year. The FAA reports that there has been a significant increase in such incidents since air travel was resumed after a brief hiatus due to COVID-19.