(NewsNation) — In what’s being described as a shocking display of unruly behavior, a British Airways flight from London to St. Lucia turned into a terrifying scene when an argument between passengers escalated into a violent altercation.
The incident, caught on camera, involved one passenger wielding a broken wine bottle as a weapon, leaving the cabin splattered with blood.
According to reports, the argument initially started as a verbal exchange before escalating to physical pushing and shoving.
Then, one of the passengers grabbed a wine bottle and smashed it, using the broken glass to stab the other passenger involved.
Blood was reportedly splattered all over the cabin.
Disturbing photos were posted on social media that captured the aftermath of the brutal encounter.
The chaos came to an end when a flight attendant intervened to put an end to the brawl.
Passengers on board expressed their shock and horror as they were trapped 30,000 feet above the ground with nowhere to escape.
Some passengers, according to the Daily Mail, criticized the airline crew for serving excessive amounts of alcohol on the nearly nine-hour flight.
British Airways responded to the incident, expressing shock and gratitude for the cabin crew and the supportive passengers who helped handle the difficult situation.
“We’re shocked that anyone would act in this way and are grateful to our highly trained cabin crew and the customers who supported them in handling this difficult incident,” the company said in part.
This incident sheds light on a disturbing trend of inflight misbehavior.
According to an interview with Johnny Jet, founder of JohnnyJet.com, instances of bad behavior on flights have risen significantly in recent years.
“According to the International Air Travel Association,” he said, “bad behavior incidents rose 37% last year, and then in 2021, it was 1 out of 835 flights where you would witness bad behavior. But in 2022, it was 1 out of 568 flights. So a significant increase.”
Earlier this year, a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston was disrupted when a passenger made threatening remarks and attempted to take control of the plane. Fortunately, other passengers intervened and prevented a potential disaster.
In another instance, an Ohio man was arrested at Orlando International Airport after an argument with a gate agent escalated into violence. The man allegedly seized a keyboard from behind the ticket counter and proceeded to assault the officer who responded to the incident.
“During the pandemic, the big problem was the mask mandate, and he saw a huge increase in bad behavior,” Johnny Jet said. “But now I just think people lost their mind.”
Authorities say no charges have yet been filed in the British Airways incident, but the investigation is ongoing.