Seksan Kumtong (52), who attacked and threatened to kill a flight attendant during a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Narita, Japan has been ordered to pay $50,000 to United after his actions caused the flight to be diverted to Anchorage, Alaska.
From One Mile at a Time:
According to reports, he started acting up shortly after takeoff, as a flight attendant observed him banging on the door of an airplane bathroom. When the flight attendant directed him to another bathroom, he attempted to shove the crew member, but failed.
The man returned to his seat but fell asleep. When he woke up, he ordered more alcoholic drinks, but was denied due to his earlier behavior. He then began swearing, and then struck the flight attendant in the face, before attempting to slam the flight attendant into the floor. At one point he even yelled "I will kill you."
At this point the passenger was restrained, and the flight diverted to Anchorage, and was met by authorities. Because of the diversion, all passengers had to spend a night in Anchorage, as the crew would have "timed out," meaning they couldn't continue to the journey.
The judge told Kumtong that the only reason Kumtong wasn't going to prison was that he was diabetic and it would put him at greater risk from exposure to Covid-19
