A first-time flyer has been charged with interfering with the duties of flight attendants after he propositioned at least two crew members on a Spirit Airlines flight to Orlando with an offer to join the ‘Mile High Club’.
James Warren Finnister was arrested by officers from the Orlando Police Department on January 9 after the pilots of Spirit Airlines flight 693 from Louisville radioed ahead to report a disruptive passenger.
In an affidavit submitted to a Florida district court, it’s alleged that Finnister first propositioned one of the female flight attendants around an hour into the two hour flight to Orlando.
It’s not clear whether the lead flight attendant took any action after Finnister made this remark, but a little while later, Finnister allegedly grabbed another female flight attendant and pulled her into his window seat and again asked if she “wanted to join the Mile High Club”.
The flight attendant “was able to free herself from Finnister’s grip” although not before he had asked various questions about the the cockpit, including how to gain access to the flight deck.
Finnister was moved to an alternative seat due to his behavior but he ended up laying on the floor of the aisle as crew members tried to complete the service around him. In the end, the flight attendants had to scoop him off the floor and help him back into his seat.
Following his arrest, Finnister admitted to downing “multiple alcoholic shots” before boarding the 7:45 am flight in order to calm his nerves because this was his first-ever flight.
Finnister has been made to surrender his passport and has been ordered to refrain from consuming alcohol in his trial.
