A Southwest pilot has been charged with assault and battery following an altercation with a flight attendant in a Bay Area hotel over masking mandates, according to reporting by USA Today.
On Oct. 18 while a flight crew was staying overnight at a hotel in San Jose, the pilot and flight attendant got into a dispute at the hotel bar.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case, Sgt. Christian Camarillo, public information officer for the San Jose Police Department told the paper.
The pilot is on leave in the meantime, the paper reported.
This incident is just the latest in a long line of reports about the airline facing challenges, such as recent widespread flight delays and cancellations and another pilot allegedly chanting an anti-Joe Biden slogan over the intercom during a flight.
There have also been numerous instances of flight attendants facing rude or disruptive behavior from passengers throughout the industry since the pandemic began.
The Friday following the altercation, Southwest distributed a memo reminding employees about proper conduct, obtained by USA Today. "Crossing the line in a heated conversation can be a violation of our guidelines for employees and can even end in loss of job," said the memo, written by Bob Waltz, Southwest's vice president of flight operations and Sonya Lacore, vice president of inflight operation
"We realize there has been a steady drumbeat over the last 19 months about civility and respectful discourse – and that is for good reason. Many of our people have been faced with an uncomfortable situation where their beliefs are not shared by someone else, resulting in a confrontation of some kind," said the memo. "And for every situation we hear about, there are dozens more for which we don't. It is vital that we treat everyone with respect and honor our differences without pushing our ideals on someone else."
