A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Columbus, Ohio, was forced to return to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport shortly after takeoff due to a fight breaking out among passengers, the airline confirmed on Monday. The incident occurred on Flight 1699 on the evening of December 23, just before 7 p.m.
Southwest Airlines issued a statement apologizing for the disruption and assured passengers they were working to get them to their destination as soon as possible.
Upon the plane’s return, Phoenix police officers responded to the gate around 9 p.m. According to authorities, one passenger was removed from the aircraft before it departed a second time, but neither passenger involved in the altercation cooperated with the investigation.
Police confirmed that no arrests were made and that the incident remains under investigation. No details were provided about the cause of the fight.
Earlier today, American Airlines lifted a nationwide groundstop after reporting a “technical issue.”
“We’re currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights,” the airline wrote on X. “Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination.”
A statement on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) website noted the airline requested a “nationwide groundstop.”
In a statement to ABC News, American Airlines said, “A vendor technology issue briefly affected flights this morning. That issue has been resolved and flights have resumed.”
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning,” the statement added. “It’s all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible.”
The issue came as 120 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more for the holidays, an increase of three million compared to last year.
Earlier this month, American Airlines agreed to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices after pressure from conservative organization America First Legal (AFL). This agreement followed a federal civil rights complaint AFL filed in January, accusing the airline of breaching federal contracting requirements. According to AFL, despite receiving over $140 million in federal contracts since 2008, American Airlines implemented hiring programs that allegedly discriminated based on race and sex.
