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MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Fla. (WSVN) — From takeoff to landing, flights require their passengers to refrain from smoking, but one Pennsylvania woman refused to comply during a flight to South Florida, and when crew members asked her to put out her cigarette, she went on a rant.
A passenger on the American Airlines Flight from Nicaragua caught the entire ordeal on their cell phone as Karen Halnon, an Associate Professor from Penn State, became irate when asked to stop smoking.
Halnon was arrested Saturday and charged with disorderly conduct and breach of peace.
Video recorded by a passenger appeared to show Halnon with the cigarette in her mouth. Though it is not clear whether or not it was lit.
As crew members attempted to defuse the situation, Halnon grew agitated and went into a tirade on a variety of issues, including relations between the U.S. and Venezuela. “They’re already saying they’re arresting me, so I’m gonna tell you more,” shouted Halnon in the plane. “In Estados Unidos, they have declared Venezuela an enemy of the United States. They have declared … the United States has declared Venezuela…”
Minutes later, officers boarded the plane and arrested Halnon.
Blake Goodwin, a frequent flyer, was on the plane during the altercation and was shocked at what he saw take place. “I’ve had similar things where flights get delayed because of unruly passengers, but nothing to this extent,” he said. “This is crazy. I’m a fairly frequent flyer, and this is the first time I ever felt nervous on an airplane.”
Passengers said Halnon’s rants also included praise for late Venezuelan Dictator Hugo Chavez. She also allegedly hurled random accusations regarding President Obama.
Halnon has since bonded out of jail.
Smoking has been banned on domestic flights since 1988 and since 2000 on international flights.