By Elisha Fieldstadt - NBC News
Vyvianna Quinonez, a Southwest airline passenger accused of punching a flight attendant, who lost two teeth due to the assault, was punished with "not flying again" in that airline, according to a spokesperson for the airline. company, Chris Mainz
Witnesses on Sunday's flight from Sacramento to San Diego, California, told police that Quinonez, 28, struck the flight attendant during a confrontation.
Southwest said in a statement that the woman had "
repeatedly ignored
standard
instructions
during the flight and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing."
[Federal authorities impose more than $ 60,000 in fines on five passengers for aircraft incidents]
Quinonez was arrested after disembarking from the plane on a
charge of assault causing serious bodily injury
and taken to the Las Colinas detention center, according to a statement from the Port of San Diego Police Department.
It is unknown if he has a lawyer.
Paramedics took the assaulted flight attendant to Scripps Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Union representative Lyn Montgomery wrote in a letter Monday that the worker
was "seriously assaulted
, resulting in injuries to her face and the loss of two teeth."
Southwest has not released his name or his health.
[The authorities warn that passengers must abide by airline rules for the use of the mask]
Thousands of Dollar Fines or Criminal Charges: The Penalties for Aircraft Misconduct
May 25, 202101: 50
The objective of Montgomery's letter to the CEO of Southwest was to ask for his support in the face of the growing
lack of control of passengers on airplanes
.
"The unprecedented number of
incidents has reached an intolerable level
, and passenger defaults are also more aggressive in nature," the union representative wrote.
[Passengers crowd the nation's airports again on Memorial Day holiday]
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported this month that there has been an
increase in disorderly
or dangerous
behavior
on board airplanes.
In a typical year, the agency sees between 100 and 150 formal cases of passenger misbehavior.
Since the beginning of this year, that number has skyrocketed to
2,500, including about 1,900 passengers
who refused to comply with the federal mandate to wear masks, according to the FAA.