In a reversal, Frontier Airlines said it would not be disciplining the crew of flight attendants who duct-taped a passenger on a weekend flight after initially suspending the crew.
"Frontier Airlines maintains the utmost value, respect, concern and support for all of our flight attendants, including those who were assaulted on this flight," spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz said in a Wednesday statement. "We are supporting the needs of these team members and are working with law enforcement to fully support the prosecution of the passenger involved."
The reversal comes after the airline said the attendants would be "relieved of flying"—a decision that drew sharp criticisms from the union representing Frontier's flight attendants. Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson slammed the original suspension for being a "knee-jerk reaction to a short video clip that did not show the full incident." In response to the reversal, Nelson commended Frontier for "doing the right thing" by standing by the flight crew and placing crew members on paid leave, which the airline says is "in line with an event of this nature." AFA said that of nearly 5,000 members who responded to a recent union survey, 85 percent reported having experienced an unruly passenger this year and nearly 1 in 5 stated that they encountered a violent passenger.
On Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it has received 100 reports of unruly passengers in the past week, bringing the current annual total to an unprecedented 3,715 incidents.