Having to sit next to a stranger on a plane can be awkward and uncomfortable enough, especially when your neighbor has annoying habits, but one man may be facing charges for having an outburst at a fellow passenger because she would not turn off her reading light.
The 50-year-old man was on an Alaska Airlines flight that was heading from Honolulu to Bellingham, Washington on an overnight trip when he became upset with the woman sitting in front of him early Saturday morning. The woman refused to turn off her overhead reading light, which kept the man from being able to sleep, according to The Bellingham Herald.
The man tried to tell the flight attendants to deal with the situation, but they told him that the woman has a right to keep the light on. This set the man off. He started to shout expletives at the woman and other people on the plane.
He also took a juvenile approach to dealing with the situation by threatening to kick the back of the woman's seat over and over again during the flight.
The man didn't threaten anyone else on the plane, but he continued to throw the F-bomb around.
The man wasn't alone on his trip. He was flying with his adult son and daughter. Five sheriff's deputies met all of when they got off the plane at Bellingham International Airport. The man was questioned and the authorities let him go home to Tacoma as they didn't find him to be a flight risk. His name was not released.
Despite police letting him go, the man's troubles might not be over. He may still face criminal charges for causing distruptions with his expletive-laced rant. Federal officials have not yet made a decision.
The Honolulu-to-Bellingham flight typicallyleaves Hawaii at 11:40 p.m. and arrives in Bellingham at 8:30 a.m. which may explain why the man wanted the woman to turn her light off during the late night hours. There were 86 passengers on the flight that landed on Saturday. Alaska Airline's Boeing 737-800 can seat up to 157 people.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
