An American Airlines flight bound for Milan was forced to reroute after an angry passenger threw a fit over his meal. The plane departed from the John F. Kennedy International Airport around 7 pm on Monday, April 7. The AA Flight 198 was supposed to arrive in Milan on Tuesday, April 8, after completing an eight-hour-long journey.
However, according to the airline, the plane was forced to turn back around to New York just four hours into the journey.
According to CBS, one passenger at the back was furious over not receiving his preferred meal, and he also complained about being seated at the exit row with a baby. As he continued to throw a fit, it led to massive chaos, forcing AA Flight 198 to head back to the departure city.
Some eyewitnesses provided further insights into what really happened. Speaking with CBS News, Krystie Tomlinson, who was also a passenger on the same flight, said, “They [the crew] were asking around if there were any police officers or Army members, or somebody who could help because there were no air marshals on.”
She explained that the man “was charging at the stewardesses,” and the whole chaos came to everyone’s attention after they “noticed a scuffle in the back.”
“At some point, he charged past all of our seats and tried to barge into the pilot’s cabin. Apparently, the whole thing started because of a meal choice they didn’t get. I guess they asked for it ahead of time. They never got exactly what they wanted. They also wanted to sit in an exit row. They had a baby with them, so they told them they couldn’t and apparently those two things are what pushed the person over the edge,” said Tomlinson.
A Milan-bound American Airlines flight departing from New York was forced to turn around over the Atlantic after a passenger on board allegedly became disruptive and challenged flight attendants who told him to return to his seat. @GioBenitez has details. https://t.co/30r1FG89yP pic.twitter.com/Nlaa96s6fp
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) April 9, 2025
Michael Scigliano, another traveler, also described the incident in a similar way. “The guy was still in the back of the plane unprotected, unrestrained, which was a little bit scary considering we had a plane full of 300 people, and there was no air marshal on board, and we’ve got this crazy man in the back,” he told CBS News. Scigliano added that on top of this chaos, the crew also informed the passengers about some technical issues, which made the situation “even scarier.”
Following the dispute, the flight returned to JFK Airport at 3:30 am on Tuesday. The passengers boarded the flight again at around 11 am on Tuesday, which was almost 16 hours after the initial takeoff. However, the eyewitness claimed that the passengers were not provided any overnight accommodation, and they had to spend time at the airport while waiting to depart again the next morning.
Crazy man with an infant needs to understand that airplane food is not worth getting upset over and he can sit in the exit row with his kiddo in 16 years.
Dad’s entitled demands force AA plane to u-turn https://t.co/WHzz1NrCJz
— @Heather_Poole (@Heather_Poole) April 9, 2025
Tomlinson told CBS, “I asked to use the American Airlines lounge to breastfeed and change. They said you can go in if you pay $79.” American Airlines also addressed the situation.
Speaking with PEOPLE, they said, “The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we expect our customers to comply with federal regulations and follow crew member instructions. We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans, and we thank them for their understanding.”
According to CBS News, the man who caused the ruckus was later released without any criminal charges. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is still investigating the incident.
