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Alaska Airlines bans 14 passengers after mid-air fight breaks out on flight from DC to Seattle

Alaska Airlines
Posted at 8:34 PM, Jan 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-08 22:34:00-05

Alaska Airlines said they've banned 14 passengers after a fight broke out during a mid-air flight from DC to Seattle.

In an email to EW Scripps, an Alaska Airlines spokesperson said the incident happened Thursday on Alaska Flight 1085 from Washington Dulles International Airport.

The spokesperson added that several passengers were "non-mask compliant, rowdy, argumentative, and harassed our crew members," and the airline banned 14 of them.

"Their behavior was unacceptable," the spokesperson said in an email. "We apologize to our other guests who were made uncomfortable on the flight. We will not tolerate any disturbance onboard our aircraft or at any of the airports we serve."

The in-flight incident comes a day after a deadly riot erupted after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol.

On Thursday, American Airlines told EW Scripps in an email that they had increased staffing at DC-area airports as a precautionary measure.

As Trump supporters prepared to fly home Thursday after Wednesday's violent riot, the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) issued a statement suggesting that those who flew into DC and participated in the Capitol's breaching should be banned from flying.

AFA linked to a video that showed issues arising on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to DC in that same press release.

Alaska Airlines added that they had banned 302 passengers for violating their mask policy since it went into effect on Aug. 7.