Video Shows Airport Attendant Punching Passenger Holding a Child
In an instant, the stressed-out travelers seemed to embody the world’s collective frustration with the state of air travel, banding together
at the departure gate to voice their anger over still waiting for their flight, which was scheduled to depart for London at 10:35 a.m.
“Why are you smiling?” a female passenger yelled at a gate attendant, according to a video of the episode published by the British newspaper The Sun.
Arabella Arkwright, a passenger who posted a photo of the employee punching the man, said the passengers were allowed to board the flight
but were held on it for two hours because of a mishap during refueling.
In the background, a man moved toward the attendant at the gate and, while holding a
child in his left hand, tried to snap a photo of the attendant with his other hand.
About 12 hours after the plane was supposed to depart, frustrations boiled over, and
that is when Ms. Arkwright and her husband, Johnnie, said they saw the man and his wife confront the attendant.
It was not clear if the man was hurt, but that moment epitomized how the patience of passengers is tested at
every turn, from malfunctioning ticket kiosks to painfully slow lines at security to cramped seats in coach.
On Saturday, it was another frustration of air travel — a delayed flight — that caused the easyJet passengers to lose it.