A flight from Jacksonville, Florida, to Washington, DC, was forced to land in North Carolina on Wednesday because of what a passenger is calling a misunderstanding.
The passenger, identified as Tiffany Miles, now faces a charge of airport obstruction. However, she paid the $1,000 bond and officials released her Thursday from the Wake County Detention Center, WRAL reported, adding that she continued her journey to Washington, DC.
Moments after the initial incident occurred, airline workers alleged in communications with air traffic control that Miles tried to breach the cockpit during American Airlines Flight 3444.
Images show the woman involved and officials at the airport:
American Airlines passenger charges cockpit — after she was denied drink https://t.co/SjqBkW7Sy4 pic.twitter.com/CYkZRwx5e5
— New York Post (@nypost) February 23, 2023
However, the passenger claimed she was walking to the bathroom following an argument with a flight attendant.
According to the airline, Miles’s behavior was unruly, and the pilot made an emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).
The woman told WRAL she asked for a cocktail before takeoff and offered the flight attendant a tip. However, the employee reportedly told her there was no drink service, and did not accept the money offered.
When Miles again requested a cocktail once the plane was in the air, she was apparently told they would not be serving alcohol during the trip.
“I have anxiety. So, sometimes I need a cocktail to cool off and calm down,” Miles explained.
Per the Mayo Clinic, occasional feelings of anxiety are normal occurrences for some individuals.
“However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks),” the clinic’s website read.
Meanwhile, Miles said she asked the flight attendant why no one could order alcohol. Then she rose from her seat and made her way toward the restroom, which is near the cockpit.
A pair of flight attendants reportedly stopped her, while another passenger approached, trying to calm the situation.
She was eventually allowed to return to her seat, and apparently became upset because so many people were around her. She later asked one attendant to call police because of the flight attendants’ allegedly rude manner.
When she returned to her seat, Miles claimed they tried to remove her from her seat. Crews reportedly used zip ties before settling her in the rear of the plane until the plane touched down.
An image shows police officers who arrested the woman escorting her off the plane, and Good Morning America reported the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating what transpire:
Passenger Kara Rosario told reporters, “There was a little bit of panic, a little bit of frustration that one person’s actions can really turn a whole plane’s travel, and their day, upside down.”
Miles is scheduled to appear in Wake County District Court at the end of March regarding the misdemeanor charge and is currently not facing any federal charges, per the WRAL report.
She is now reportedly banned from flying out of RDU.
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