Flight Diverted Over Reference to Ferguson, Cries of Discrimination

Delta Flight 81, en route from Atlanta to Los Angeles was diverted and forced to make an unscheduled stop in Albuquerque over an incident in first class that began with “a 27-year-old Wichita man’s singing aloud to music playing from his headphones, which bothered other passengers.”

When asked to stop singing by another passenger and then by a flight attendant, he “made references to the recent Ferguson, Missouri incident” and “also stated he was being harassed because he was black.”

At some point, the “upset and crying passenger went to the restroom several times” and eventually became a concern for the flight crew, which led to the the diversion.

The passenger was not charged but was not allowed back on the flight, an airport spokesman said Thursday, and he caught a flight to Los Angeles Friday morning, police said. He never made any direct threats, passengers interviewed by police said.