Dec 25, 2007 9:45 pm US/Eastern
Passenger's Conflict With Attendant Forces Landing
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
A coach passenger who refused to leave a first-class seat aboard a Jamaica-bound flight Tuesday night forced the pilots to return the plane to Miami International Airport.
American Airlines Flt. 838 departed Miami at 6:38 pm for Montego Bay, but the pilot quickly returned to MIA, according to airport officials.
The incident happened when a flight attendant asked to see the boarding pass of a passenger seated in first class, an airline spokeswoman told CBS4 news partners The Miami Herald. The passenger, who was supposed to be in coach, refused to take his actual seat.
The plane, an Airbus A300-600 with 127 passengers and nine crew members, returned to the gate, where police boarded the plane and interviewed the passenger.
No charges have yet been filed, and passengers reboarded the flight, which took off again for Montego Bay more than an hour later.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
