A man has caused a passenger flight to be diverted after allegedly slapping the bum of an airhostess after a dispute about drinks onboard a Delta airlines flight
A passenger jet has been diverted after an unruly traveller allegedly slapped the bum of a flight attendant in a row about drinks service.
Cody James Maluck, 32, was arrested on May 9 from a Delta airline flight from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles which was diverted to Georgia after the alleged assault. According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court the flight attendant, referred to as PLL, told officers Maluck alleged inappropriate behaviour started due to a disagreement about drink service. The flight attendant stated Maluck was asleep while the air hostess passed beverages to passengers aboard the flight.
Believing the man was asleep the flight attendant passed his seat without disturbing him. Once the woman passed the man, Maluck allegedly slapped the woman’s behind with such force she was pushed forwards. After the alleged slap the woman turned to see what had hit her. Maluck raised his hands up after the woman looked at him and said: “I didn’t do anything.”
Due to the incident PLL informed the pilot of the ordeal leading to the plane to be diverted to Georgia and the police to be contacted. Maluck has claimed he didn’t hear the woman asking him for drinks since he was wearing headphones. The 32-year-old had reportedly admitted to touching the women but has denied slapping her backside with force.
He added he just wanted to get PLL’s attention and did not wish to disrespect her. Maluck, who was arrested and held at Atlanta City Detention Center, has been charged with interfering with flight crew members and staff by assaulting and intimidating them.
The charge carries a fine of up to $25,000 and a prison sentence of up to 20 years. A spokesperson for the airline said in a statement that Delta has a “zero tolerance for disruptive or unruly behaviour on our flights.” The statement added: “We will always cooperate with law enforcement to address such conduct and protect our people.”
Maluck is due to appear in court on June 16 and has not yet entered a plea for the charges brought against him.
The development comes as thuggish UK passengers could be completely banned from the skies under a dramatic new government “blacklist” plan.
Holidaymakers who cause chaos mid-air face being blocked from booking with any airline if the radical new crackdown gets the green light. Department for Transport and Home Office officials are understood to be drawing up plans for a massive data-sharing system to track rowdy flyers .
Under the early-stage proposals, airlines could be forced to report disruptive passengers to the UK Government. If that same troublemaker tries to check in for another flight later on, a major red flag would be sent to the airline. While individual carriers would still have the final say on how to handle the warning, they would be given the power to completely refuse to fly them.
The no-nonsense move already has overwhelming support from the British public. A YouGov poll of 5,173 adults revealed that a whopping three-quarters of Brits want a database created to ban mid-air menaces from all flights.
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