“Drunk” passengers have been caught clashing with airport police in wild videos filmed at the Tampa airport.
Footage shows Florida travelers getting into messy disputes with police after they were denied travel or, in one case, even refused to get off the plane.
It comes as the number of unruly passengers soared following the coronavirus pandemic, according to police figures obtained by WFLA.
A whopping 5,973 cases were recorded across the country in 2021, as people became angry over restrictions such as the obligation to fly with a mask on.
This figure has dropped to 2,455 cases in 2022, although it is still much higher than pre-pandemic totals.
‘Drunken’ plane passengers caught clashing with airport police in wild videos filmed at Tampa airport
A wild clip shows a man stumbling through the airport wearing only one shoe as a police officer leads him firmly by the arm towards an exit (pictured).
Footage shows Florida travelers getting into messy disputes with police after being denied travel or, in one case, even refusing to get off the plane (pictured).
“You have to go,” a police officer tells an allegedly drunk couple at the airport in a clip captured by another officer’s body camera.
‘Why won’t they let me fly? It’s not fair. “I know my rights,” says the passenger as the situation worsens.
‘ARREST ME RIGHT NOW THEN!’ he yells at the cops as he points at them.
‘I know my damn rights! Nobody is drunk!
The police proceed to move her partner out of the way before handcuffing her, in the first of several videos shared by WFLA showing more commotion at the airport.
Another clip filmed at the gate shows a security guard telling police that a passenger “will not leave the plane unless physically removed.”
Moments later, a police officer escorts the passenger off the plane as he protests and asks why they kicked him out.
Another wild clip shows a man stumbling through the airport in just one shoe as a police officer leads him firmly by the arm toward an exit.
He says ‘no, I’m fine here’, prompting the cops to handcuff him as he asks ‘are you kidding me?’
Passengers who create problems on planes can be fined up to $37,000 by the FAA if their behavior causes the plane to be diverted.
The number of unruly passengers at airports skyrocketed following the coronavirus pandemic, according to police figures obtained by WFLA.
“You have to go,” a police officer tells an allegedly drunk couple at the airport in a clip captured by another officer’s body camera.
Passengers who create problems on planes can be fined up to $37,000 by the FAA if their behavior causes the plane to be diverted.
This year there have already been several incidents of violent behavior and passenger accidents.
They include a “drunk and abusive” man who was detained by four travelers aboard an eight-hour flight to JFK.
The camera showed a group of Britons intervening to help airline staff calm the man as they struggled to restrain him on the JetBlue flight from London Gatwick Airport on January 30.
One of them could be seen holding him in a headlock, however, the supposedly drunk passenger managed to get away.
JetBlue told MailOnline that the crew discovered an open bottle of liquor that the customer had brought on board.
They confirmed that the man was immobilized and that authorities took care of him when they landed in New York.
Meanwhile, another crazed passenger head-butted a flight attendant on board a flight leaving Dubai last week.
The man was reportedly drunk when he became violent in the business class section of the Emirates plane from the United Arab Emirates to Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 26.
Cabin crew on board flight EK614 attempted to restrain the rowdy passenger. But the video shows him headbutting one of the men’s team members before being pinned down and restrained.
A flight attendant then ran in with a pair of black emergency cable ties, which were kept on board to handle unruly passengers, to handcuff him.
The man is said to have remained immobilized in the seat until the Boeing 777 landed around 1:20 a.m. local time. Pakistani airport police then boarded to arrest him.
Fellow passengers said they were “terrified” by the commotion and avoided passing the plane for fear it might attack them.
One said: ‘The drunk was extremely violent. “The Emirates cabin crew restrained him and handcuffed him, but I think the Pakistani authorities let him go because he had good contacts.”
Alcohol is prohibited in Pakistan for Muslim residents, leading many to binge drink when visiting more liberal neighboring countries.