An American Airlines passenger has been fined $42,128 following an outburst in which she spat on a fellow flier, opened the emergency exit and jumped down the slide.
24-year-old Cynthia McKnight has been sentenced to time served and three months’ probation after pleading guilty to two counts of simple assault.
Court documents say she became ‘irate’ after staff asked her to put away her phone as the plane prepared for takeoff, on a flight from Buffalo to Chicago.
When the aircraft was forced to return to its gate, McKnight was said to have opened the emergency door and jumped down the inflatable slide onto the tarmac.
Officials said she managed to get across the open the main boarding door, causing the inflatable slide to deploy automatically, which she jumped down.
When she noticed a fellow flier filming her she became irritated and spat at them.
She was quickly caught and taken into custody, telling officials she had been drinking.