Pickleball enthusiast Peter Nguyen posted footage of the argument between him and the flight attendant to his Instagram account on Monday, with the clip quickly going viral
A plane passenger got into a heated argument with a flight attendant after being caught vaping in the toilet.
Peter Nguyen has attracted criticism online after he found himself in a tense spat with a member of the flight staff. The self-described pickleball coach posted a video of himself exchanging verbal blows with a woman, whom he accused of “assaulting” him.
The argument broke out after Mr. Nguyen admitted to vaping in the toilet of American Airlines flight 2860. Few people online seem convinced by the social media personality’s actions; however, the viral video attracted plenty of critical comments. The incident came after a man vaping in the toilet of a Ryanair plane caused a two-hour delay.
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Many have noted that vaping is strictly prohibited on American Airlines planes. As the airline’s website reads: “Since some electronic cigarettes use lithium-ion batteries, you cannot travel with them in your checked bags. You can travel with them in your carry-on, but you’re not allowed to use them onboard any flight. We recommend traveling with them in a designated carry case.” It’s not only banned by airlines; it is a federal crime in the US.
Despite this, Mr. Nguyen decided to slip into the plane’s toilet for a puff. When asked to explain his actions in the comments beneath the Instagram video and why he risked incurring a $1,771 fine, Mr. Nguyen said: “Nicotine withdrawal is real.”
The pickleball enthusiast posted footage of the argument between him and the flight attendant to his Instagram account on Monday. In the video, he appears to admit to vaping in the plane lavatory and apologizes, but then objects to how the worker responded.
“I was actually sitting on the toilet and you were opening the door,” he said to her before saying sorry. “I don’t care,” she replied. “You can keep saying you’re sorry but I care about all these passengers.”
The flight attendant then realizes he is filming her and reaches across Mr. Nguyen towards his phone. While no or very little contact between the pair seems to take place, the move outrages the Instagrammer.
“Did you put your hands on me? She just put her hands on me,” he continues in the video. After a bit of back-and-forth bickering, Mr. Nguyen walks into the plane cabin while filming himself.
He has added some extra context to the confrontation in comments online. In one, he explains: “I was sitting on the toilet and she kept unlocking and knocking on the door, I was in emotional distress and didn’t know what was happening.”
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Few people online seem convinced by Mr. Nguyen’s actions, however. One wrote: “This isn’t the win you think it is. This is all over Reddit, and people are mocking you. It’s probably best you delete the video and make your social media private for a while.”
Another added: “So… you were breaking the law and instead of taking accountability, you just berated a woman doing her job?”
A third chimed in: “So what was the idea of posting this, truly? Your nicotine problem is not the flight attendants’ nor the other passengers’ problem. You failed to properly make accommodations for yourself, made a reckless decision to compensate, and then started running your mouth and putting a camera in people’s faces when confronted.
“People are going to get distressed by your irrational behaviour. But the audacity to post it online, thinking folk would say ‘Oh that flight attendant was just horrible to you!’ is madness. Frankly, you need to apologise to the people you wronged thanks to your addiction, and try to do better from now on.”
An American Airlines spokesperson said: “A customer on American Airlines flight 2860 with service from Phoenix (PHX) to San Francisco (SFO) was removed from the aircraft upon arrival at SFO due to disruptive behavior. We thank our customers for their patience and apologize for any inconvenience. The San Francisco Police Department met the flight upon arrival and escorted the customer out of the concourse.”
The Mirror has contacted Mr Nguyen for comment.