Infamous JetBlue passenger Christina Szele will plead guilty to at least some of the federal charges she's facing, according to the Denver Post, citing court documents in the case.
Szele, you'll no doubt remember, reportedly sparked up a cig on her flight between New York and San Francisco and flew into a rage when a flight attendant snatched it from her lips. She was booted off her A320 after it made an emergency pit stop in Denver.
With the plea, it's unlikely she'll get the maximum penalty she could've drawn, but US Attorney Troy Eid is definitely making an example of Szele--just like he promised.
Christina Szele, the enraged passenger who allegedly punched a flight attendant after he snatched a lit cigarette from her lips, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver. They say there's enough evidence to prosecute on the original charges of assault and interference with a flight crew--and the jury adds that another charge of assault is in order for Szele's behavior toward a second FA.
The US attorney in the case, Troy Eid, says he's not afraid to make an example of Szele, who authorities say caused such a ruckus that the pilot on her flight had to make an unscheduled stop at Denver International to toss her.
The "anything-goes-on-an-airplane" culture must end. Mess with a commercial flight crew and expect to face the consequences.
And consequences there certainly may be: If found guilty of the interference charge, Szele faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000!
Maybe SAFER is on to something. After a woman allegedly punched a flight attendant and lit up mid-flight, we didn't think in-air drunkenness could get any more outrageous. But meet Taylor Kircher!
The 21-year-old Drexel University student went wild on his British Airways flight from LHR to JFK, authorities say, after he downed an entire bottle of vodka. Among other things, he was masturbating through his clothing, says a federal air marshal:
He stated that he was unable to stop.
After a warning from the captain, flight attendants restrained Kircher with flex cuffs; he then spat in their faces. Before the plane managed to touch down in the States, he made one last threat, says the marshal:
At one point he told a flight crew member that he was going to "blow this plane up if you don't untie my ... feet."
We're trying to find Kircher on Myspace or Facebook... Won't you email us if you find him?
Adults should be allowed another option for relaxing and dealing with their anxiety when they fly. It is irrational and potentially dangerous policy to continue allowing passengers to get drunk before and during flights while prohibiting them from simply making the safer choice to use marijuana prior to boarding.
We can think of at least one travel guru would probably get behind this effort: Rick Steves. And come to think of it, SFO already has one pre-boarding pot lounge. Book those flights now, Snoop!
A packed JetBlue plane flying from New York to San Francisco had to make an emergency landing after a woman flipped out and allegedly punched a flight attendant. The passenger, 35-year-old Christina Szele of Queens, flew into a rage after a member of the crew asked her to put out a cigarette she lit up mid-flight. Szele, a white woman, began cursing and screaming racial epithets at an African-American flight attendant after he plucked the cigarette from her mouth, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
After her outburst, Szele was placed in restraints, but she managed to escape her plastic handcuffs and punch the flight attendant in the face. That's when pilots decided to bring the plane down in Denver in order to throw Szele off the flight.
Now the angry Queens nicotine fiend faces federal charges and up to 20 years in jail. Note to Szele: Cigarettes are pretty tough to come by in prison!
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