A Hawaii woman was ordered to pay a nearly $40,000 fine to American Airlines after she hurled abuse at crew on a flight from Phoenix to Honolulu.
Cayla Farris, 29, caused the furore on board the aircraft in February 2022 when she refused to wear a face covering mandated during the coronavirus pandemic.
Federal prosecutors said the 29-year-old was handed a time-served sentence of 3.6 months in prison in connection with her actions – plus three years of supervised probation.
She is also not allowed to board an aircraft for three years without explicit approval while she is on probation, a U.S. District judge said.
Cayla Farris, 29, caused the furore on board the aircraft in February 2022 when she refused to wear a face covering that was mandated during the coronavirus pandemic
Shortly after the plane took off from Phoenix, Arizona, Farris was asked to wear a mask as part of the plane’s Covid policy.
Farris put on her mask, but then removed it, according to her plea agreement.
She then started threatening and swearing at people on the plane.
When they gave Farris a written warning, she threw the piece of paper on the ground and shouted ‘(expletive) it,’ the plea said.
‘My behavior escalated to the point that air crew members were intimidated and unable to perform their duties,’ the Hawaii native said in the document.
The plane’s captain decided to turn the aircraft around and landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. This was due to Farris’ behavior preventing the crew members from continuing their on-board duties.
Farris pleaded guilty to a charge of interference with a flight crew member in September.
The judge ordered her to pay $38,952 restitution to American Airlines for delay-related costs.
American Airlines was also embroiled in multiple mask-related ordeals during the pandemic years.
In September 2021, a mother alleged she was kicked off an American Airlines flight because her 2-year-old son was suffering an asthma attack, and was unable to wear a mask.
Amanda Pendarvis was on American Airlines Flight 1284 from Dallas Fort Worth to Colorado Springs with her mother, and toddler son Waylon, when she says a flight attendant, whose name she said was Carl, told her Waylon needed to wear a mask.
Pendarvis, from Oklahoma, described Carl as ‘truly evil,’ and ‘power-tripping’ in her Instagram story where she chronicled the ordeal, which she said was ‘humiliating/traumatizing.’
After attempting unsuccessfully to make Waylon put on a face covering, Pendarvis said crew turned the plane around, and that she was escorted off by police officers.
Federal prosecutors said that the 29-year-old was handed a time-served sentence of 3.6 months in prison in connection with her actions – plus three years of supervised probation. Pictured: Stock of passengers wearing face masks
And in January 2022, a female first-class passenger refused to wear a mask on an American Airlines Miami to London flight causing the plane to turn back.
The unnamed woman, who forced the return to Miami airport ninety minutes into the nine-hour journey, was not a solo troublemaker.
Both the woman and her companion, whose gender has not been revealed, were drunk and refused to wear masks, sources said. Neither passengers’ nationality has been disclosed.
CBS Miami reported that one of the two – believed to be the woman whose behavior was previously reported on – was ‘more of a problem,’ with her aggression reportedly leading the plane to turn around.
The crew are said to have decided that it would be too disruptive to try and contain the bad behavior for the remaining seven-and-a-half hours of the transatlantic trip, with 129 passengers and 14 crew members on board.
One person was dealt with by police ‘administratively’ – but not arrested, and has subsequently been banned from flying American for life.