Delta Air Lines reportedly removed a passenger who went to the toilet while an aircraft was delayed on the runway.
The Milwaukee-bound flight from Atlanta had been sat on the tarmac for about 30 minutes when Kima Hamilton, a 39-year-old ‘DJ and poet’, got up to ask the crew if he could go to the bathroom.
“We weren’t taking off. We were still. The plane isn’t moving,” he told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel as he recalled the April 18 incident.
The attendants refused and he returned to his seat. But as the delay continued, he rose and quickly went to the bathroom.
“The pilot came on and said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry for the inconvenience but we have to return to the gate and remove a passenger,’ ” Hamilton said. “It escalated to that point that fast.”
When two Delta officials came on board to ask him to get off the aircraft, he calmly refused.
All passengers were then forced to disembark and re-board the aircraft while Hamilton was interviewed by police and Delta personnel in the airport.
Having explained the situation, he avoided arrest and the airline refunded part of his ticket.
Delta told the newspaper: “Our flight crews are extensively trained to ensure the safety and security of all customers.
“It is imperative that passengers comply with crew instructions during all phases of flight, especially at the critical points of takeoff and landing.”