American Airlines pilot says he will drop Trump supporters in Kansas
An American Airlines pilot on flight 1242 from Washington D.C. to Phoenix threatened to divert his plane to Kansas if passengers didn’t behave.
The Daily Mail reported that Trump supporters who boarded the flight on Friday afternoon from the Regan National Airport to Phoenix Sky Harbor were seen on video chanting “USA! USA! USA!”
The pilot spoke on the loudspeaker with a noticeably frustrated voice as he issued a stern warning to the rowdy passengers.
“This is the way it’s gonna be…it’s a four and a half hour flight to Phoenix. We’ll put this plane down in the middle of Kansas and dump people off. I don’t care,” the pilot said. “We will do that if that’s what it takes, so behave, please.”
Read More: Pelosi says rioters chose ‘whiteness’ over democracy
According to The Daily Mail, an American Airlines spokesperson told the outlet that passengers on the flight refused to wear masks or face coverings at the request of airline staff.
“At American, we take the safety of our customers seriously and we value the trust they place in our team to care for them throughout their journey. Prior to departure from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), the pilot onboard flight 1242 made an announcement emphasizing the importance of following crew member instructions and complying with mandatory face-covering policies,” the spokesperson said.
United States airlines are increasing security in Washington D.C. following the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday that lead to five deaths and multiple arrests so far.
Read More: Trump insurrection won’t stop us from giving Stacey Abrams her flowers
On Twitter, Republican political commentator Mindy Robinson tweeted footage from the flight and said, “Wow. I’m on a plane full of patriots flying from DC to Phoenix and we started chanting “USA” …and the Captain came on said told us he’d drop us off in Kansas if he had to if we didn’t obey their every single rule. American Airlines is everything but American.”
She followed up, saying, “If you remember, they were rude to me on the way too there because of my MAGA hat. Do these companies not understand how many of us there really are?”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
