Unruly passenger punches American Airlines flight attendant, forces diversion

American Airlines diverted one of its flights to Denver after a passenger carried out "one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we've ever witnessed," the company's CEO said Thursday. Flight 976 was en route from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Calif., on Wednesday when the violence happened. "Last night, @AmericanAir had one of the worst displays we've seen, when a passenger violently assaulted one of our flight attendants," CEO Doug Parker said in an Instagram post. "Thankfully, our flight attendant is recovering and we are making sure she and her fellow crew members have the support they need." Paul Hartshorn, a spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, said the passenger punched the flight attendant at least two times, causing her to have "multiple broken bones in her face." "We are still trying to understand what happened," Hartshorn told The Dallas Morning News. "As far as we know, she may have bumped him. She wasn't even working in this particular cabin class when it happened." Parker said the passenger involved will be permanently banned from flying on American Airlines and the company was working to ensure they they are prosecuted "to the full extent possible."<br/>