Woman files suit against JetBlue airlines over bizarre in-flight melee

A strange incident broke out in October during a JetBlue flight from New York to Costa Rica in which a 74-year-old British woman was accosted by airline staff in a manner that has now prompted the passenger to rush to court in an attempt to receive justice, as the New York Post explains.

The resulting lawsuit, Siddell v. JetBlue Airways Corporation, was filed on Jan. 19 in federal court and will hopefully resolve the competing claims once and for all.

Plaintiff Angela Siddell contends that as she winged her way to Costa Rica to celebrate her recent retirement, she sought out a trash can in which to place the refuse produced by the cup of tea she had just enjoyed.

The Jersey, U.K. resident, who was herself once employed as a flight attendant, said she had been in the restroom when the routine trash collection process occurred, causing her to deposit her refuse on a galley countertop for the sake of convenience and because she could not find an alternative receptacle.

It was then, according to Siddell, that a member of the in-flight crew approached her in an “unusually loud and verbally aggressive” manner and expressed disapproval about where she left the garbage.

Despite Siddell's attempt to secure the name of the employee as well as that of the pilot, no such information or further assistance was provided by the crew, causing the passenger to scrawl the details of the incident on a nearby sick bag.

From then on, according to Siddell, things took a rather more sinister turn, and she claims that a flight attendant grabbed her by the wrist while another shoved her from the back with a surprising degree of force.

Siddell says that her head made abrupt contact with the plane's exit door before she was handcuffed and the flight diverted to Florida, whereupon she was removed from the aircraft.

According to the disgruntled passenger, she ended up with a black eye, not to mention a bitter taste in her mouth with regard to JetBlue's customer service.

Now that Siddell has filed suit in federal court, the process of discovery may perhaps shed light on the differing accounts of the aggrieved passenger and the accused in-flight personnel.

It remains to be seen whether the airline will pursue a quick financial settlement with Siddell or will let the litigation play out to its natural conclusion.

Thus far, representatives from JetBlue have not provided comment on the controversy.