Airline Passenger Allegedly Attacked Flight Attendants Over The Food Options In First Class

If there's one thing you can expect as an airline passenger on a flight, it's mediocre meal options.

One man was charged in Florida over the way he allegedly reacted to the food menu on a flight earlier this year, in a case that played out on an American Airlines trip from Barbados to Miami.

The suspect, a businessman named Robert David Croizat, was accused of interfering with and assaulting the flight crew during an incident on March 8, according to a criminal complaint first obtained by the Daily Beast. He also allegedly tried to reach the cockpit to take his complaints straight to the captain.

He ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge in court on Wednesday, the outlet reports.

The whole fiasco began about two hours into the flight when Croizat got upset about the way a flight attendant read out his meal options in first class, according to the criminal complaint. He admitted to having had two drinks around the same time.

Croizat called the flight attendant "sh*tty" and got into a shouting match with him, according to the complaint. He was also upset that "only vegetarian meal options were available in the first-class cabin," according to an additional document filed in court and obtained by the Daily Beast.

He then started arguing with two other flight attendants who stepped in, going so far as to ask them, "What, you want to call the captain?"

Croizat liked that idea and started shouting "Get the captain out here!" according to the complaint. He then allegedly shoved a flight attendant twice in an altercation that authorities say was caught on video.

And then it got worse. According to the complaint, Croizat pinned a flight attendant to the cockpit door while demanding to see the pilot, all while other passengers on the plane urged him to sit down.

"Finally, a passenger lifted Croizat and placed him in his seat in an attempt to restrain him," the complaint says.

It's unclear how big the other passenger was, but it's rare to see someone lift a grown man and physically put him in his place.

Croizant continued to complain about the way he was being treated after that but he did not get up again, the complaint says. The crew reported the incident and blocked off the cockpit with a cart, and Croizat was arrested after landing in Miami.

His attorney told the Daily Beast that the criminal complaint makes the whole incident sound more extreme than it was, that it was more of an "argument" than a case of assault. He also claimed that Croizat never actually tried to storm the cockpit.

Croizat, 60, is a retired hedge fund manager whose name came up in the Paradise Papers leaks several years ago.

His attorney pointed out that the felony charge of interference with a flight crew was dropped with his plea on Wednesday.

American Airlines has not commented on the case.

Data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows unruly passenger incidents have surged since air travel restarted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reported cases went from 1,161 in 2019 to 5,973 incidents in 2021, the FAA data shows.

Last year saw 2,455 incidents and the FAA has logged another 628 cases as of May 7, 2023.

That means there's still time to bring our numbers down in 2023. Everybody just needs to chill!

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.