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- An American Airlines flight attendant was punched twice in the face by a passenger after bumping into him earlier this week, said union officials.
- CEO Doug Parker said the airline is going all out to ensure the attacker is "prosecuted to the fullest extent possible."
- The assault is the latest in a barrage of physical and verbal abuse faced by flight attendants after travel surged this summer.
An American Airlines flight attendant was admitted to hospital with broken bones in her face after she was attacked by a passenger on Wednesday.
The assault happened on Flight 976 from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. After the incident, the plane diverted to Denver and the passenger was detained, said American Airlines.
The flight attendant had bumped into the passenger, who later got up from his seat and punched her twice in the face in front of the galley, according to officials from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, who cited witnesses on the plane, reported CBSLA.
One witness, Mackenzie Rose, told the outlet that the flight attendant walked back down the aisle and had "blood splattered on the outside of her mask."
Another witness said there happened to be a doctor on the flight who assessed the injury and said the attendant's nose was broken and bleeding, per ABC News.
APFA President Julie Hedricks said the attendant initially apologized to the passenger after she bumped into him in the first-class cabin, but that didn't stop him from attacking her, reported The Washington Post.
On Thursday, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said in a video statement that the assault was "one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we've ever witnessed."
The offending passenger is now barred from flying with the airline, said Parker, who added that a travel ban "is not enough" as punishment.
"We are doing everything we can to ensure he is prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. We're also working with the [Federal Aviation Administration], who has the authority to levy fines of over $50,000 to disruptive passengers," he said.
Flight attendants across America have been met with a swell in physical and verbal abuse when US travel eclipsed pre-pandemic levels this summer, reported Insider's Allana Akhtar. Many described how the violence has affected their mental health and created an "emotionally abusive" work environment.
"We've never had passengers assault us like this," said AFPA President Hedricks, referring to Wednesday's incident, per The Post.
"I think for flight attendants going to work today, the mental exhaustion of 'what am I going to be dealing with?' - you just don't know what's going to happen on your flight today," she added.