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A few days ago, I wrote about a United Airlines flight attendant who was arrested at Tampa International Airport (TPA) after allegedly touching a Cayman Airways crew member during a dispute on the employee shuttle. The incident, recently released through police bodycam footage on YouTube, had sparked debate over whether the arrest was warranted or was an excessive response to a minor confrontation. Now, there is an update (thanks to Gary at View from the Wing for sharing). Charges have been dropped against the United flight attendant.
The disagreement reportedly began when the United flight attendant became irritated that the Cayman Airways flight attendant was speaking loudly on speakerphone during the shuttle ride from the employee parking lot to the terminal. According to police reports and the attendant’s own statements, he tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention and asked her to be quiet. He then followed her into the airport, attempting to photograph her ID badge so he could report her behavior to her airline. The Cayman Airways employee told police that this interaction made her uncomfortable and prompted her to report the incident. (I fly in and out of this airport several times weekly and have flown with the United flight attendant. I also recognize the United agents in the video.)
When approached by police, the United attendant acknowledged touching the woman and admitted he was trying to document her identity. Police informed him that any unwanted physical contact, even a tap on the shoulder, could be considered battery under Florida law. He was then removed from duty and taken into custody moments before he was scheduled to board his flight.
The arrest forced United Airlines to quickly replace the crew member, but the situation has raised questions about whether police intervention was necessary for what appeared to be a minor dispute over etiquette and noise in a shared space. Some argue that the matter could have been resolved without law enforcement. Others maintain that physical contact of any kind is inappropriate and grounds for a complaint.
In Florida, police are allowed to make an arrest for misdemeanor simple battery based solely on a complaint, even if they did not witness the incident. In this case, the state ultimately dropped the charge on May 16th. The process took a while and because the defendant hired private counsel, he still faced significant costs from his attorney. Court records do not indicate any diversion or deferred prosecution agreement (such as community service, an apology, or other conditions), so it’s unclear what specifically prompted prosecutors to dismiss the case.
Anthony’s Take: You should keep your hands to yourself (you’re taught that in Kindergarten for God’s sake), but this was also a bit overblown and hopefully the Cayman Airways flight attendant learned that she should not be taking calls on speakerphone in public (especially on a crowded employee shuttle).
(Featured Image Credit: @NYDETECTIVE via YouTube.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
