Southwest pilot sends reporter, CNN analyst into frenzy after saying 'Let's go, Brandon' over plane intercom



A pilot for Southwest Airlines triggered one customer — who happened to be an Associated Press reporter — on Friday after saying "Let's go, Brandon" over the plane's intercom system.

Over the last month, "Let's go, Brandon" has become a national chant to express opposition to President Joe Biden.

What happened?

The incident on the Southwest Airlines flight took place Friday morning.

"On Friday morning on a Southwest flight from Houston to Albuquerque, the pilot signed off his greeting over the public address system with the phrase, to audible gasps from some passengers," the AP reported.

A TikTok video showed exactly what the pilot said.

"We're heading east at about seven or eight miles per hour. Clear visibility, mostly clear skies, about 77 degrees," the pilot said. "Thanks for coming out and flying Southwest Airlines, welcome aboard, and remember, 'Let's go, Brandon.'"

What was the reaction?

The AP reporter who heard the anti-Biden remark admitted she was almost removed from the plane when she tried to gain access the flight deck to ask the pilot about his remark.

"[That feeling when] you're trying to go on vacation and then the pilot says the very thing you're working on over the loud speaker and you have to try to get him comment but then almost get removed from plane," reporter Colleen Long said. "Also in defense of airline I was asking them to open locked cock pit and probably sounded insane!"

Also in defense of airline I was asking them to open locked cock pit and probably sounded insane!

— Colleen Long (@ctlong1) 1635608205.0

Meanwhile, Juliette Kayyem, a Harvard professor and CNN analyst, demanded that every passenger on the plane file a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration.

'If @SouthwestAir doesn't do anything, every passenger on that flight has standing to file a complaint with the @FAANews and they should do so. Southwest will then be compelled to investigate or defend him. Have fun with that," Kayyem reacted. "No messing around in the air. Bright line rule."

"Unlike some of you, I'm not saying he should fired. Only that there should be investigation. For all we know he was making fun of it," she added. "Either way — bad joke or asshole — it cannot go unaddressed lest it opens up other pilots to harangue passengers."

Unlike some of you, I’m not saying he should fired. Only that there should be investigation. For all we know he was… https://t.co/jkI4yQr242

— Juliette Kayyem (@juliettekayyem) 1635623750.0

Kayyem even suggested the pilot's remark "reflect[s] possibility of anger management or substance abuse." She did not provide evidence to back her claim.

What did Southwest say?

Southwest Airlines released a general statement saying the airline does not condone "divisive or offensive" behavior, but did not say anything specific about the incident.

"Southwest Team takes pride in providing a welcoming, comfortable, and respectful environment for the millions of Customers who fly with the airline each year and behavior from any individual that is divisive or offensive is not condoned," the statement said.

Speculation swirls over possible 'sickout' as Southwest Airlines abruptly cancels more than 1,800 flights



Thousands of Americans were left stranded at airports nationwide over the weekend after Southwest Airlines abruptly canceled nearly 2,000 flights.

What happened?

Southwest Airlines, one of America's most popular airlines, canceled more than 1,000 flights on Sunday after canceling more than 800 flights on Saturday, the Washington Post reported. Another 1,500 flights had been delayed.

The airline claimed the unusual delays caused by air traffic control and weather issues.

"[Air Traffic Control] issues and disruptive weather have resulted in a high volume of cancellations throughout the weekend while we work to recover our operation. We appreciate your patience as we accommodate affected Customers, and Customer Service wait times are longer than usual," Southwest Airlines tweeted on Saturday.

ATC issues and disruptive weather have resulted in a high volume of cancellations throughout the weekend while we w… https://t.co/pb9RHXrMAZ

— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) 1633806439.0

What did the FAA say?

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed there were some ATC staffing and weather issues — on Friday, not Saturday. Otherwise, the agency blamed airline logistical issues for the canceled flights.

CNBC reported:

The Federal Aviation Administration said there were a "few hours" of flight delays on Friday afternoon because of severe weather and staffing issues at Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center, which controls airspace in five parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.

"No FAA air traffic staffing shortages have been reported since Friday," the FAA said. "Some airlines continue to experience scheduling challenges due to aircraft and crews being out of place. Please contact the airlines for details about current flight schedules."

Is it something more?

As tens of thousands of Americans were left stranded at airports over the abrupt flight cancelations, the mass flight cancelation — which did not impact other air carriers — was speculated to be related to a "sickout," or protest over COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Reporter Leland Vittert said federal employees were protesting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Airline sources: mass “sickout” @FAANews center in Jacksonville - caused ripple effect and 1000+ flight cancellatio… https://t.co/e3PwswUmC9

— Leland Vittert (@LelandVittert) 1633830017.0

Interestingly, the mass flight cancelations began one day after the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association filed a request in federal court to temporarily block a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, however, denied the flight cancelations were related to action taken by Southwest pilots.

The SWPA said that while it was aware "operational difficulties affecting Southwest Airlines ... we can say with confidence that our Pilots are not participating in any official or unofficial job actions."

"Our Pilots will continue to overcome [Southwest] management's poor planning, as well as any external operational challenges, and remain the most productive Pilots in the world," the union added, the Post reported.

UPDATE: FAA temporarily grounds Fox News drone after it captures viral images of thousands of migrants at border; Ted Cruz reacts: 'Ridiculous,' 'never seen anything like that'



Update 9/17/2021, 2:40 p.m. ET: The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Friday afternoon that Fox News was cleared to fly a drone over Del Rio, Texas, after previously announcing flight restrictions in the area. "Fox News applied this morning and has received clearance to operate from now until the end of September in the restricted airspace linked below," the FAA said.

The Federal Aviation Administration authorized a flight restriction at the U.S. southern border shortly after images of thousands of migrants taken by a Fox News drone went viral.

On Thursday morning, Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin shared on Twitter a photo taken by a drone.

"Our drone is back over the international bridge in Del Rio, TX," the popular tweet read. "Per source, the number of migrants waiting to be processed has now swelled to approx 8,200. It was 4,000 yesterday AM. Doubled in one day. BP overwhelmed, & I'm told situation is 'out of control.'"

BREAKING: Our drone is back over the international bridge in Del Rio, TX. Per source, the number of migrants waitin… https://t.co/wJCWABa6Al

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) 1631797429.0

However, less than 12 hours later, Melugin reported that the FAA had implemented a two-week flight restriction in the area where thousands of illegal immigrants were congregating.

"We've learned that the FAA just implemented a two week TFR (Temporary Flight Restrictions) over the international bridge in Del Rio, TX, meaning we can no longer fly our FOX drone over it to show images of the thousands of migrants," the reporter stated.

Melugin said the FAA instituted the flight restriction because of a "special security reason."

Melugin noted, "Fox News has been covering the border nonstop for almost 7 months now, we use the drone constantly, and it has never been an issue."

NEW: We’ve learned that the FAA just implemented a two week TFR (Temporary Flight Restrictions) over the internatio… https://t.co/oWIwSSUF2j

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) 1631837420.0

The FAA issued a statement on Thursday evening, "The Border Patrol requested the temporary flight restriction due to drones interfering with law enforcement flights on the border. As with any temporary flight restriction, media is able to call the FAA to make requests to operate in the area."

On Friday afternoon, the FAA provided clearance to Fox News to fly in the area.

"Fox News applied this morning and has received clearance to operate from now until the end of September in the restricted airspace linked below," the FAA stated.

. @FoxNews applied this morning and has received clearance to operate from now until the end of September in the re… https://t.co/t9REwuneD5

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) 1631899330.0

Melugin appeared on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," where he said, "It has never been an issue. All of a sudden, the last 24 hours, we start showing these images at this bridge and a TFR goes up [and] we can no longer fly."

He told host Tucker Carlson, "Unfortunately for those agents on the ground, they are completely overwhelmed. They need some serious help right now, and hopefully, they get it from the federal government."

Melguin said the throng of migrants swelled to over 10,000 at the Del Rio International Bridge.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it is dedicating more resources to the overwhelmed Del Rio Sector.

"The Border Patrol is increasing its manpower in the Del Rio Sector and coordinating efforts within DHS and other relevant federal, state and local partners to immediately address the current level of migrant encounters and to facilitate a safe, humane and orderly process," CBP said in a statement. "To prevent injuries from heat-related illness, the shaded area underneath Del Rio International Bridge is serving as a temporary staging site while migrants wait to be taken into USBP custody."

"Drinking water, towels, and portable toilets have been delivered for migrants to use while they await to be transported to a facility," CBP said.

FAA restricts Fox drone after showing images of migrant surge www.youtube.com

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) confirmed the large number of illegal immigrants at the border bridge in a post on Twitter, which he described as a "Biden Border Crisis."

"10,503 illegal aliens are under this bridge tonight because Joe Biden made a political decision to cancel deportation flights to Haiti," Cruz wrote. "The Border Patrol is over capacity. It's indefensible, it's inhuman, and it was entirely caused by Biden & Harris."

Cruz posted a video of the massive crowd under the bridge, where he blamed the "man-made crisis" on the Biden administration.

"This is the result of a political decision," Cruz said. "This is the result that is indefensible. What we are seeing here, this is wrong. This is inhumane and this is entirely caused by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris."

10,503 illegal aliens are under this bridge tonight because Joe Biden made a political decision to cancel deportati… https://t.co/PfSFn9nJnY

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) 1631848768.0

Cruz called the flood of migrants at the border "the most horrific thing I've ever seen" during an appearance on "Hannity."

"It is packed in, it is a mass of humanity and it is, the scope of it, until you see it, they take your breath away because it just goes on and on and on. Infants, little children, people struggling enormously," Cruz told host Sean Hannity.

"Eight days ago on Sept. 8, under that same bridge, there were between 700 and a thousand people. That is what was coming a day, about a thousand, sometimes 1,100, but it would range between 700 and 1,100," Cruz said. "Then, eight days ago on Sept. 8, the Biden administration made a political decision. They announced that they were no longer going to fly deportation flights back to Haiti."

Cruz claimed that "85% of the people under there are from Haiti."

Regarding the FAA flight restriction near the bridge in Texas, Cruz said, "Really is ridiculous, I've never seen anything like that."

"The drone footage started this morning and people across the country were horrified, and I guess the political operatives at the Biden White House saw that and decided the last thing they want is Fox News actually reporting on what's happening down here," Cruz surmised.

"So, now the FAA is saying please, no journalists allowed," the Texas Republican added. "As you know, they did the same thing in the Donna tent facility in the Rio Grande Valley, where they wouldn't allow Fox News to come in when I brought 19 senators to the Rio Grande Valley, I had to go in with my cell phone and photograph and take videos."

Cruz addressed the issue of illegal immigrants, who may be COVID-positive, crossing the border.

"Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are absolute hypocrites," Cruz declared. "Those 10,000 people there, do you know how many Border Patrol has tested? Zero. Not a one. They don't have the capacity to do that."

Sen. Ted Cruz blasts the FAA for blocking drone footage at 'horrific' Texas border www.youtube.com

Southwest Airlines flight attendant loses two teeth in assault by passenger: union



A flight attendant for Southwest Airlines was attacked by a passenger during a flight over the weekend and lost two teeth in the assault, according to a union president.

What are the details?

Transport Workers Union of America Local 556 President Lyn Montgomery brought up the incident in a letter to Southwest CEO Gary Kelly on Monday, urging him to boost security on flights to protect workers.

According to NBC News, Montgomery wrote that "From April 8 to May 15, there were 477 passenger misconduct incidents on Southwest Airlines aircraft," arguing, ""The unprecedented number of incidents has reached an intolerable level, with passenger non-compliance events also becoming more aggressive in nature."

The union boss went on to say that one flight attendant working over the weekend was "seriously assaulted, resulting in injuries to the face and a loss of two teeth."

A Southwest spokesperson told ABC News Tuesday that the incident occurred Sunday morning on a flight from Sacramento to San Diego. Neither the passenger nor flight attendant were identified, but both are female.

"The passenger repeatedly ignored standard inflight instructions and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing," the spokesman said, adding that police took the passenger into custody upon landing.

The flight attendant was hospitalized but has been released.

Fox News reported that the Federal Aviation Administration "has been cracking down on 'unruly' passengers" of late.

On Monday, the FAA tweeted, "The FAA has proposed fines between $9K and $15K against five passengers for allegedly interfering with and, in two cases, assaulting flight attendants. We have zero tolerance for unruly or dangerous behavior. Our fines can reach up to $35K."

The FAA has proposed fines between $9K and $15K against five passengers for allegedly interfering with and, in two… https://t.co/Vvky1LTKQY

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) 1621865267.0

NBC reported that "in a typical year, the agency sees 100 to 150 formal cases of bad passenger behavior. Since the start of this year, that number has jumped to 2,500, including about 1,900 passengers who refused to comply with the federal mask mandate, according to the FAA."

FAA announces 'zero-tolerance' crackdown on unruly passengers: No more warnings; expect big fines and possible jail time



We have all heard horror stories of unruly airline passengers making life miserable for hundreds of fellow passengers.

Flyers will fight with each other or with airline staff. And things have reportedly gotten much worse with the airlines' adoption of mask mandates and the recent riot at the U.S. Capitol.

In response to increasing unruliness among passengers, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an order this week designed to crack down on travelers' bad behavior.

What's the deal with the new FAA order?

The new order signed by FAA chief Stephen Dickson on Wednesday empowers airlines to implement a no-nonsense, "stricter legal enforcement policy against unruly airline passengers," the agency said in a statement.

According to the FAA, the airline industry "has seen a disturbing increase in incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior." The agency said the incidents partly stemmed from customers' refusal to wear face masks during the pandemic and from the Jan. 6 violence at the Capitol.

For example, air travel news site GateChecked.com reported that "almost 3,000 passengers have been put on temporary no-fly lists as a result of failing to wear masks on board. Tensions have risen due to the Capitol Hill riot, even resulting in an American Airlines pilot 'threatening' to dump passengers in Kansas if they don't 'behave.'"

The new policy scraps the warnings and counseling the agency has historically used to deal with unruly passengers. The FAA will now "pursue legal enforcement action" against anyone who gets out of line. Actions include massive fines and possible jail time.

"Passengers who interfere with, physically assault, or threaten to physically assault aircraft crew or anyone else on an aircraft face stiff penalties, including fines of up to $35,000 and imprisonment," the FAA statement said. "This dangerous behavior can distract, disrupt, and threaten crewmembers' safety functions."

The agency highlighted that, though it does not have the power to criminally charge passengers, it "works closely with federal law enforcement and national security partners on any reported security threats that may impact aviation safety."

Dickson told CNBC on Thursday that the "zero-tolerance" policy was prompted by a surprising increase in the number of disruptions.

"This is about flight safety," he said. "Any time we see a trend like this, we need to take action, because traveling on a commercial airline in the United States is the safest form of travel in human history. And I want to make sure it stays that way."

Dickson admitted that in the past the FAA would adjudicate many of the unruly passenger situations with counseling or warnings, but he said that "with this order ... I'm telling my inspectors, I'm telling my attorneys in the FAA chief counsel office that we need to expedite gathering the facts on all of these, and we're going to take immediate enforcement action in appropriate situations."

"That's what we mean by a 'zero-tolerance' policy," he said.

Folks in the airline industry heaped praise on the FAA's move.

Airlines for America, the trade organization for airlines in the U.S., said in a tweet, "The safety and security of passengers and employees is the top priority of the U.S. airline industry, and we welcome the @FAANews' order to implement a more stringent policy regarding unruly passenger behavior."

The safety and security of passengers and employees is the top priority of the U.S. airline industry, and we welcom… https://t.co/6rB3hBVlsU
— Airlines for America (@Airlines for America)1610583596.0

“First strike and you're out," Sara Nelson, the head of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said, ABC News reported. "We applaud FAA Administrator Dickson for taking this clear stand for our safety and security. This will help serve as a deterrent to unruly passengers who had been bucking the rules of aviation safety. We continue to work with our airlines, the FAA, the TSA and law enforcement to keep our skies safe."

The new FAA order will be in place until March 30.