American Airlines CEO says onboard violent incidents must stop

American Airlines CE Doug Parker on Thursday sounded the alarm about disruptive and violent incidents onboard US airplanes after a flight attendant was physically assaulted, prompting a flight diversion. "This type of behavior has to stop," Parker said in a video posted on Instagram. "American Airlines will not tolerate airport or inflight misconduct of any kind." American said a New York to Santa Ana, California, flight on Wednesday diverted to Denver after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant. US airlines have reported a record number of violent incidents this year and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pledged a "zero tolerance" approach. Parker called the latest incident "one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we’ve ever witnessed." A passenger on the flight said that the flight attendant had blood splattered on her mask after she had been punched. The passenger was arrested when the plane made its unplanned stop in Denver. Through Monday, there have been 4,941 reports of unruly passenger incidents, including 3,580 related to pandemic face covering regulations.<br/>