A female passenger faces criminal charges after she refused to get off her phone before take-off, forcing the entire flight to be evacuated.
Delta Air Lines flight 1323 from Miami to Atlanta was delayed for more than an hour after Shannon Harris allegedly refused repeated requests from the cabin crew to end a phone call.
Despite further pleas from increasingly agitated fellow passengers, Ms Harris continued to ignore requests to switch off her phone, leading crew members to call the police. Ms Harris was arrested when the plane returned to the gate.
A video of the event has gone viral on social media with passengers clearly pleading with the woman to comply with cabin staff.
“At first it seemed like a minor issue, but she just wouldn’t hang up,” one traveller said. “The crew stayed calm, but you could tell it was becoming serious.”
In a statement, Delta Air Lines said safety was its top priority and praised the crew for handling the situation professionally.
“A customer did not comply with repeated crew instructions to end their phone call while the aircraft was taxiing out,” a spokesperson said.
“The customer became disruptive and the aircraft returned to the gate where [the passenger] was removed from the aircraft.
“Our teams are trained to manage a wide range of onboard situations with safety and care. We appreciate our customers’ patience during this delay.
The evacuation meant all passengers had to disembark before re-boarding could begin, contributing to a delay of almost an hour. The flight eventually departed without further incident.
