Two Passengers Brawl Mid-Air On Southwest Airlines Flight To Hawaii

By Asheea Smith

(Photo : (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP) (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)) A Southwest Airlines passenger jet lands at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on December 28, 2022. - The perfect storm of fierce snow squalls, howling wind and sub-zero temperatures forced the cancellation of thousands of flights in recent days, including around 5,900 on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to tracking site FlightAware.com. Most of the cancellations on December 27-28 were at Southwest Airlines, which pulled more than 60 percent of its flights due to cascading logistics issues.

Two male passengers engaged in a fist fight mid-air on a Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland, California, to Hawaii on Monday.

Footage taken by a fellow passenger, obtained by NBC News, shows the two men quite disgruntled — as if a heated discussion had occurred prior to cameras rolling.

It's unclear how the altercation began.

After the man wearing what looks like a light blue sweatshirt takes a swipe at a man in a navy blue baseball cap, the two immediately start to scuffle. The man in the blue cap responded with a punch to the face, followed by several more punches, appearing to exchange words with the man after.

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The fight happened about an hour into the plane ride.

Passengers became noticeably disgruntled by the altercation, shocked at the physical exchange between the two, with one shouting, "No way! No way!"

The cabin crew tried their best to relax the angry passenger, with bystanders intervening by escorting him toward the back of the plane. NBC News obtained a statement from Southwest Airlines acknowledging the problem, thanking the passengers and crew, and confirming a safe landing.

"Our reports indicate that two Customers became disruptive onboard flight 1288 from Oakland to Lihue," the statement began.

(Photo : Getty Images) An interior view of an American Airlines B737 MAX airplane is seen at Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport in Dallas, Texas on December 2, 2020. - The Boeing 737 MAX will take another key step in its comeback to commercial travel on December 2, 2020 by attempting to reassure the public with a test flight by American Airlines conducted for the news media. After being grounded for 20 months following two deadly crashes, US air safety officials in mid-November cleared the MAX to return to service following changes to the plane and pilot training protocols. (Photo by Cooper NEILL / AFP) (Photo by COOPER NEILL/AFP via Getty Images)

"We commend our Crew and Customers for their professionalism in diffusing this situation. Our number one priority is the Safety and well-being of our Customers and Employees," the statement read. "The flight landed safely at its scheduled destination, and local authorities met the aircraft upon arrival."

"Imagine being a grown adult and punching another adult thinking that's the correct procedure to fix a problem... on a flight too... wow. #WhatsHisName," a social media user wrote.

"How could someone get mad on a flight to hawaiiiiii?!?," another user asked.

The identities of the men has not been released and it's unclear whether they were placed on the No Fly List.

The U.S. Department of Transportation weighed in as well via X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday, reminding passengers of their strict policy and the consequences of bad behavior on board.

Reminder: Our department has zero tolerance for violent or unruly behavior aboard an aircraft. If you act out on an airplane, you can face criminal prosecution and fines up to $37,000. https://t.co/OWrtUYcHr4
— U.S. Department of Transportation (@USDOT) February 13, 2024

"Reminder: Our department has zero tolerance for violent or unruly behavior aboard an aircraft," the tweet warned. "If you act out on an airplane, you can face criminal prosecution and fines up to $37,000."