Woman Faked Medical Problem For Better Airplane Seat, Police Arrested Her

An American Airlines flight was forced to turn around early Friday after a woman faked a medical problem to get a better seat on the flight.

The incident took place on a Miami-bound American Airlines flight departing from Pensacola, Florida. It was forced to turn around after a woman reportedly suffered a “medical emergency” onboard in an effort to get a better seat. She was taken into custody by the Pensacola Police Department after the plane landed back at a Pensacola airport.

According to police, the woman had reportedly been demanding a larger seat on the flight from Pensacola to Miami before she faked the medical problem. A flight from Pensacola to Miami typically lasts about one hour and 40 minutes.

“Once airborne, she told them she wanted a bigger seat,” Pensacola Police Department public information officer Mike Wood told reporters. “The pilot declared an emergency... once they got on the ground, she made it clear that she was faking the medical condition to get a bigger seat.”

Authorities evacuated the flight after the woman refused to leave the plane. She was eventually removed under the Florida Baker Act which allows Florida police departments to hold anyone believed to pose a threat to themselves or others.

American Airlines responded to the incident in a statement of its own, saying:

“Earlier today, American Eagle 3508 returned to Pensacola due to a passenger who requested medical assistance. The flight took off at 5:43 a.m. and landed back at Pensacola at 6:26 a.m. and taxied to the gate. All passengers deplaned normally at the gate through the main boarding door and onto the jet bridge. The passenger was subsequently removed by law enforcement and medical personnel, and the flight took off again at 7:41 a.m.”