As reported by Local 10 News, a fight broke out at Miami International Airport as passengers were getting off a recent Frontier Airlines flight from Philadelphia. The eyewitness Kiera Pierre Louis, also known as Milli Miami, who also recorded the entire situation, said that a white passenger got upset because a Black passenger was taking too long to get his luggage. The white passenger then used a racial slur and punched the Black passenger.
That’s when the brawl started.
“You can see the white man on top of the Black passenger just beating him between the seats,” Pierre Louis told Local 10 news. “The Frontier Airlines flight attendant got involved. The white man’s wife got involved. His son, I believe, and his son’s girlfriend — everyone was just involved.”
Other passengers came in and broke up the fight. After being separated, the police came and the alleged offender was allowed to leave the plane, according to Pierre Louis.
The Black passenger who had been assaulted stayed behind to file a police report.
Pierre Louis said that the police favored the white passenger who used racial slur in the flight.
“Racism, of course,” he said. “The Black passenger had to wait on the plane, when he didn’t even start it, and the police, while we were walking off the plane, walked right past the person, the white man who actually initiated everything.“
Miami-Dade police denied that the Black passenger had to stay because of his race.
According to the police, the man stayed behind, so he could file a police report. He did want to press charges against the offender and the man who started the brawl was allowed to leave the plane, according to Local 10 News.
Frontier Airlines released a statement about the incident:
“As a flight from Philadelphia to Miami was deplaning at MIA, a physical altercation broke out among passengers who were towards the back of the aircraft. The flight crew requested law enforcement assistance. All passengers involved were asked to remain on the aircraft, however some disregarded the flight crew’s instructions. Ultimately, local law enforcement became involved.”
This incident is among many others that have been seen frequently in the airports and planes across the US. This week, Travel Noire spoke to 30+ year psychologist, Dr. Leo Flanagan, PhD. Dr Flanagan said that the eagerness for many to get back on a plane to see loved ones, or even to vacation— for the first time in over a year— is a trigger of anxiety which can lead to the aggressive behavior.
As of July 21, 2021, the FAA has reported 3,509 incidents of airline passengers losing their minds on planes or being unruly, according to Dr. Flanagan. .
