This week, a fistfight broke loose on a Southwest Airlines flight from California to Hawaii. The video shows two passengers in a heated argument on a plane, which escalated into a physical altercation. Storyful reported that a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight to Hawaii from Oakland, California saw two passengers get into a fight.
The man began videotaping the fight between the two male passengers. As you can see in the video clip, one passenger got into an argument before punches were thrown. Bystanders and flight attendants intervened, pulled the man back, and separated them.
A passenger argued with another passenger on a flight from California to Hawaii. Punches were then thrown. The situation was calmed by other individuals.
The man who took the video praised a passerby for what appeared to calm the man. The bystander, he said, used “textbook conflict-resolution” techniques to calm down the situation. He did this by “maintaining non-threatening body language and tacit empathy.”
A bystander calmed the situation after two men started punching each other on a plane by using “textbook conflict-resolution” techniques. This included “maintaining eye contact” and “using body language that was non-threatening.”
Southwest Airlines employee tells NBC the two men involved were detained in Hawaii upon arrival. Storyful reported that charges are not known at this time.
Storyful reported that the man who recorded the video said he did not judge any of the people involved, even though the situation seemed to be escalating into an argument.
Southwest Airlines employee said that two men involved in an altercation had been detained in Hawaii upon arrival.
He described the situation as “an escalation to an understandable confrontation, with decisions that I’m certain they both regret.” He suggested that instead, people “focus their attention on lessons learned.”
“Our reports indicate that two customers became disruptive onboard Flight 1288 on Feb. 12 from Oakland to Lihue,” said a spokesperson with the Southwest public relations team on Wednesday morning.
“We commend our crew and customers for their professionalism in diffusing this situation.”
The spokesperson also said, “Our No. 1 priority is the safety and well-being of our customers and employees. The flight landed safely at its scheduled destination and local authorities met the aircraft upon arrival.”
