What’s this guy smoking?
A first-class passenger forced a Texas-bound American Airlines flight to make an emergency landing in Oklahoma when he refused orders to stop vaping after takeoff, according to a report.
American Airlines Flight 1733 had just departed Milwaukee on Tuesday with 108 people aboard when the puffing passenger was seen taking drags in full view of other travelers, aviation site PYOK reports.
When a flight attendant issued a warning — saying that vaping on a plane violated federal regulations — the man allegedly scoffed and accused her of making false allegations against him.
The travel site claimed the customer attempted to attack the flight attendant, with other passengers rushing in to protect her, but American Airlines said there were no such reports of an assault on the flight.
American Airlines did not confirm the full details of the incident, but the company told The Post that the flight was quickly diverted to Tulsa, Ok., where police were waiting to escort the disruptive passenger off the plane.
“American Airlines Flight 1733, with service from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (MKE) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), diverted to Tulsa, Oklahoma (TUL) due to a disruptive customer,” the airline said in a statement. “We thank our team for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
The Tulsa Police Department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The plane stayed in Tulsa for a little more than an hour before taking off and arriving at Dallas by 9:20 p.m., according to American Airlines.
The incident is reminiscent of a report earlier this year where a groom was arrested aboard a flight to Greece after he refused to stop vaping and told the captain to “f–k off” when he was told to stop.
Reports of unruly passengers hit a staggering peak in 2021 after pandemic-era travel restrictions were lifted with nearly 6,000 reported, according to FAA statistics.
The numbers have dipped significantly since, but are still above pre-pandemic levels. There were 2,075 reporters last year and 649 so far in 2024.
