Man Bites Attendant During Flight to Seattle, Causing Plane To Turn Around

An All Nippon Airways plane returned to Tokyo after a reportedly intoxicated passenger allegedly bit a flight attendant. The passenger began yelling, acting violently toward flight attendants, and attempted to open the plane’s exit door.

CNN reported that an American man bit a female flight attendant. This caused the flight to return to Tokyo after being airborne for one hour. The airline told CNN that the flight attendant had minor injuries and that the man was taken into custody by the police in Tokyo.

According to Kyodo News, the 55-year-old man denied the biting allegation. The police quoted him as saying he did not remember what happened as he had taken a sleeping pill. After the man was escorted off the plane, the flight returned to Seattle.

“The safety and security of our passengers and employees are ANA’s top priority and we will take all necessary actions to ensure it,” the airline told People Magazine in a statement. “On January 16, NH118 departing from Tokyo Haneda to Seattle returned during the flight due to an intoxicated passenger who was acting in an unsafe manner to the flight crew and passengers.”

The plane departed just before 10 p.m. local time before turning around an hour later and heading back to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The airline said no passengers were injured. 

In 2023, in the United States alone, Federal Aviation Administration data shows there were 2,075 unruly passengers on planes. The website states that unruly passenger incidents are referred to the FBI when warranted. These can earn travelers a felony conviction. 

Also, the FAA can propose up to $37,000 per violation for unruly passenger cases. One incident can result in multiple fines. Unruly behavior can also affect a traveler’s TSA PreCheck eligibility and land them on an internal no-fly list for an airline.