Ryanair passenger spits at and hits people on a flight to Italy: report
Viral YouTube video shows a woman pull hair and try to kick people on an international flight
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Social media users are stunned by a YouTube video that shows a Ryanair passenger spitting on a recent flight.
The incident and viral video were first reported by Newsweek, which suggested that the situation escalated after the irate passenger refused to comply with the airline’s coronavirus mask policy.
The near 3-minute video titled, in Italian, "Woman sclera in flight - Quarrel on the RYANAIR plane" shows a maskless woman ranting in Italian with a number of expletives. She then spits across the aisle and argues with a male flight attendant while improperly wearing her face mask around her chin – an act that is prohibited on most commercial airlines.
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The woman also goes on to pull on the hair of a nearby passenger, who is sitting in a window seat in front of her more than once. At the 2-minute and 35-second mark, the video jumps to the woman being held back by flight staff and attempting to kick a man who is trying to speak with her.
Ryanair confirmed to Fox News that the incident took place on an Italy-bound flight that left from Ibiza, Spain in late May.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The crew of this flight from Ibiza to Milan Bergamo (26 May) requested police assistance upon arrival after a passenger became disruptive in-flight," a spokesperson for Ryanair wrote to Fox News. "The aircraft landed normally, and police removed the individual at Milan Bergamo airport. This is now a matter for local police."
Ryanair confirmed to Fox News that a passenger became disruptive on an Italy-bound flight that left from Ibiza, Spain in late May. (iStock)
The shocking YouTube video was originally shared on Saturday and has since racked up more than 374,720 views.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The majority of the comments under the posts condemn or mock the woman’s actions in Spanish and Italian. The top-liked commenter appears to have transcribed a part of the woman’s rant, which roughly translates to her expressing that she’s from a democratic country and has freedom of speech.
A few English speakers even took time to chime in about the woman’s behavior despite having a language barrier.
"I don’t understand a word but her body language speaks loud," one YouTube commenter wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Believe me, her body language is the ONLY way she speaks," another commenter quipped in reply.
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Newsweek reports that the woman – whose identity hasn’t been revealed – issued a statement on Instagram that she was "frustrated" and will take legal action against anyone who shares videos of her rant.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Flight attendants have had to deal with passengers who refuse to wear protective face masks throughout the coronavirus pandemic. (iStock)
While the woman’s unruly behavior took place on an international flight, the Federal Aviation Administration notes that disruptive mask-related outbursts have been on the rise since Jan. 1. Two days before the woman stepped foot on the Ryanair plane, the FAA reported that the agency has received roughly 1,900 reports of passengers refusing to wear masks despite federal mandates.
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More recently, major commercial airlines in the U.S. have repealed alcohol re-introduction policies due to passengers being unruly during COVID-19, including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines.