A recent British
Airways (BA) flight bound from London
to Austin, Texas, faced an unusual delay when a heated confrontation between
two women over a "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) cap resulted in
their removal from the plane. The altercation, which reportedly involved
physical aggression, delayed the scheduled departure from Heathrow Airport by
approximately two hours.
According to The
Guardian, the conflict began as the two women, aged 40 and 60, boarded the
aircraft. According to witnesses, one of the unnamed women took issue with the
other’s red MAGA hat—an item worn by supporters of former U.S. President Donald
Trump—and asked that she remove it.
The disagreement seems
to have escalated quickly, with both women allegedly throwing punches as a full-on
confrontation ensued in the cabin. Both were supposed to be seated in premium
economy on British Airways Flight BA191, which had been scheduled to depart at
12:10 p.m.
The captain
apparently called for assistance, which prompted police to come to Terminal 5
to escort the troublesome passenger off the aircraft. The plane ultimately took
off at 2:11 p.m. without either of them onboard.
There has been no report as to whether or not these two women were eventually accommodated on other flights.
Neither passenger was
arrested and no charges have yet been filed, although each claimed it was the
other who started the fray and landed the first punch.
London’s Metropolitan
Police Service told Fodor’s
that it was continuing to investigate the incident, but that neither passenger
had been taken into custody over the other’s accusations.
British Airways issued
a statement on the incident, saying, “We apologized to our customers for the
delay and got them on the way as quickly as possible.”
A Heathrow source
told British tabloid The
Sun, “With the US presidential election so close, tensions are sky high.
Airline crew could not run the risk of a full-scale punch-up at 30,000ft. BA
officials cannot recall a flight being delayed before due to a passenger’s
baseball cap. It was extraordinary.”
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