Man kicked off flight for threatening to kill

The man, seen wearing a backward baseball cap, was escorted off the plane by law enforcement. Photo / Twitter, mamashepesq

An intoxicated man was removed from an Alaska Airlines flight after he threatened to kill fellow passengers.

The Boeing 737-900ER was on the way to San Diego from Boston last night, when the man became verbally abusive and started throwing mini alcohol bottles at other travellers, the Daily Mail reported.

Insane drunk or drug fueled dude being removed from our @AlaskaAir plane after disturbing several passengers. pic.twitter.com/f1ugZr65lp

— Rebecca Shepard (@rebeccashep_18) February 10, 2016

Several witness tweeted about the incident and footage shows passengers cheering as the man was escorted off the flight, which was forced to divert to Denver International Airport.

Claire Conroy wrote on Twitter that "There was a very intoxicated guy on the flight, who began threatening other passengers, saying we "we're all gonna die"".

She said he started making threats to other passengers, but the flight crew and passengers "handled it so well".

After the "drunk and belligerent" passenger was removed, she wrote, "God bless him, he thought the cops were his "car service" and asked them to make sure his luggage got to his house".

Another Twitter user, Rebecca Shepard wrote, "Crazy dude on my plane to San Diego from Boston. @AlaskaAir flight attendants handling so professionally."

The incident meant travellers were subjected to a delay of nearly an hour before the plane and its 181 passengers could resume its journey.

An Alaska Airlines spokesman told NBC News the man "was told to calm down by flight crew, and then became agitated and verbally abusive, even issuing a threat to flight crew".

"Out of an abundance of caution, the captain decided to land at the nearest airport, which was Denver International Airport," he said.

"The plane landed safely and taxied to the gate where Denver Airport police met the plane and took the passenger into custody."

The incident follows a similar example of bad behaviour high in the skies.

Earlier in the week a shirtless man was removed from an Air Mediterranee flight from Algeria to Paris after he urinated on a fellow passenger.

- nzherald.co.nz