Passenger who assaulted JetBlue flight attendant indicted

Christina Szele, a 35 year old from New York City, has now been indicted for having physically assaulted a flight attendant on a JetBlue flight destined to San Francisco. Szele, a resident of Queens, reportedly threw a fit when passengers and flight attendants tried to stop her from lighting up a cigarette on the plane. Szele went ahead and started smoking, despite federal regulations that clearly prohibit this. When she was told to stop, Szele reportedly became aggressive, making racial remarks about the flight attendant, used inappropriate language and ultimately punched one of the employees in the jaw.

After some effort on the part of JetBlue flight attendants, Szele was successfully restrained and placed in handcuffs for the remainder of the flight. Szele was arrested immediately after the flight landed and was only let out on bail, after $10,000 had been deposited. Earlier today, Szele was indicted on three charges, involving assault and interfering with a commercial airplane. The maximum penalty for the three charges includes 11 years in prison.

The incident on the JetBlue flight is particularly disturbing for those who work in the air travel industry, after a recent survey predicted a rise in cases of air rage. According to the results of this study, nearly all flight attendants and airport ground staff have had to deal with air rage at least once in their career.

www.jetblue.com