The outbreak of unruly passengers on flights continues, with a recent incident in which a passenger tried to take over the plane due to complaints over the menu, according to the Daily Beast.
A criminal complaint filed against American Airlines passenger Robert David Croizat alleged that on a flight from Barbados to South Florida, the U.K. citizen became so irate over the flight attendant service he demanded to speak to the captain of the aircraft.
Another traveler had to overpower Croizat and force him back into his seat so the plane could land safely.
The Beast cited the complaint detailing the flight leaving Bridgetown for Miami at 3:53, and after two hours on the fight, Croizat “caused a disturbance… by getting out of his assigned seat and approaching flight attendant (“FA”) 1."
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“Croizat told FA1 he was a ‘shitty’ flight attendant and should have addressed him in a better way when giving him the choices for his meal,” said the complaint. He was also "shouting" at the crewmember.
Croizat admitted to having two drinks during the flight.
“What, you want to call the Captain?” Croizat allegedly said to a flight attendant. He then continued to “aggressively, demandingly, and loudly" order the flight attendants to “get the Captain out here."
Croizat refused to sit down after numerous attempts, instead demanding to speak with the person flying the plane.
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In another incident, Croizat "touched flight attendant 3" which prompted her to tell Croizat not to touch her. He then shoved her twice, the complaint goes on.
Croizat “continued to persist in being belligerent and non-compliant.” That's when flight attendant 3 called the captain to make him aware of the situation.
Croizat then turned back to flight attendant 2, who was guarding the door. He refused to comply with repeated requests to return to his seat and pinned her "against the cockpit door."
“All the while, passengers told Croizat many times to sit down, but Croizat refused and continued to be disruptive,” the complaint continues. “Finally, a passenger lifted Croizat and placed him in his seat in [an] attempt to restrain him, causing a glass of wine to spill.”
Croizat stayed seated for the rest of the flight, but “continu[ed] to complain to the flight attendants about the way he was treated.” The flight attendants positioned the serving cart in front of the door to block the cockpit door.
After Sept. 11, cockpit doors were reinforced because the hijackers stormed the cockpit to take over the planes and fly them into the World Trade Towers. Since then, flight crews are trained to protect the door, including incidents in which the pilot has to use the restroom. Flight attendants will use the service cart to block the galley until the pilot returns to the cockpit and locks the door.
Air traffic control in Miami was alerted to the situation and Croizat was arrested upon landing.
"A motion filed by Croizat’s attorney explains he was going to Miami for five days to visit his son, who wound up co-signing his dad’s bond. But things weren’t moving fast enough for Croizat, who was ordered to turn in his passport, and complained to the court that the cost of renting Airbnbs while waiting for his case to be adjudicated was 'financially burdensome' and asked to be allowed to return home temporarily. His request was denied," the report said.
Croizat is cited in the Paradise Papers for his link to a Malta corporation. According to a Twitter account that shows photos matching the mugshot of Mr. Croizat, he is a retired founding partner of an international wealth management firm.
He recently founded "mental wellness Barbados." According to the group's Instagram page, the group is the "new #mentalhealth charity in #Barbados Previously lacking and much-needed Founded by @robertcroizat Please follow and support this charity."
The day before the incident was King Charles' coronation, in which Mr. Croizat complained CNN's London correspondent, Max Foster, didn't "like" his tweet.
There were 2,455 reports of unruly passengers on airplanes in 2022, according to FAA records. To put that in context, there were 146 incidents in 2019. It's a violation of federal law to interfere with the duties of a crewmember.
Croizat will plead guilty Wednesday in federal court to a misdemeanor charge.
