Plan B Forum

Icelandair says it had to restrain a passenger on a flight from Reykjavik to New York City because he was hitting people, screaming profanities and spitting.




The incident, which occured on Thursday, received media attention after a photograph began circulating on the internet purporting to show the passenger tied to his seat with tape and plastic restraints.

The man who posted the picture to the website Tumblr, Andy Ellwood, said it was taken by a friend on the flight.

Icelandair spokesman Gudjon Arngrimsson said the passenger was bound after his behaviour became "unruly and threatening".

"To ensure the safety of those who were on board he was restrained by the crew and passengers and then was monitored for the duration of the flight for his own safety," he said.

He said he couldn't validate the photo's authenticity but said airlines commonly carry plastic handcuffs and tape to restrain potentially dangerous passengers.

The airline said police took the man off the plane when it landed at Kennedy Airport at 6.30pm.

The man reportedly drank his entire quota of duty free liquor in the first hour of the flight, and then tried to strangle another passenger before screaming the plane was going down.

According to London's Daily Mail, the man also spat on several passengers during his meltdown which happened just a few hours into the flight.

Ron Marsico, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the airport, told reporters that police took the 46-year-old man to a hospital after determining that he was drunk.

No charges were filed, he said.

The passenger's name wasn't released



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-inc ... z2HGf11Ixd