Georgia woman removed from Delta flight for refusing to get off the phone
A Delta Air Lines flight had to return to the gate in Miami after a Georgia woman refused to hang up her phone while the plane was taxiing.
A passenger, identified by police as Shannon Harris, 46, of Tyrone, Georgia, about 23 miles southwest of Atlanta, refused to put down her phone as the crew gave safety instructions, according to WAGA-TV.
Due to Ms. Harris’ aggressiveness, the pilot returned Delta Flight 1323 to the gate, where Ms. Harris refused to get off when asked by the airline supervisor.
Video taken from the flight shows at least one passenger chanting at Ms. Harris to “get off the plane,” but ultimately all of the more than 160 passengers on board had to get off the plane, according to WTVJ-TV.
This prompted one of the passengers to complain that “we’re all supposed to listen and [she] doesn’t?”
Ms. Harris is accused of then trying to get off the plane with everyone else, which led to her arrest according to WAGA-TV. She faces misdemeanor trespassing charges, according to Miami-Dade County court records.
The flight, which was scheduled to depart from Miami International Airport bound for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 4:53 p.m., ultimately left Miami around 6:12 p.m., according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
“The safety of our customers and crew comes first, and Delta has zero tolerance for disruptive behavior. We apologize to our customers for this experience and the delay in their travels,” a Delta spokesperson told WUPA-TV.
