Airport News

American Airlines suspends flights from DFW Airport to Seoul, Korea

No flights to Seoul during March and April.

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines is suspending flights from DFW Airport to Korea, effective March 4.

According to a release, the suspension will take place on flights to and from Seoul, South Korea (ICN) and DFW Airport, "due to a reduction in demand."

Korea is the latest destination to which American has suspended flights. In January, the Fort Worth-based airline suspended flights to and from mainland China and Hong Kong over concerns regarding the coronavirus. Those flights are suspended through April 23.

Flights from LAX to mainland China and Hong Kong are also suspended. And on February 29, American suspended operations to and from Milan, Italy, and New York (JFK) and Miami (MIA).

A growing number of airlines have halted flights out of caution over the spread of the coronovirus, including Delta Airlines, United Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, Turkish Airlines, Lion Air, EgyptAir, and Air Canada.

Flights to Seoul are scheduled to resume April 25.

This is the only airport in Korea that American services from DFW Airport. There is one flight to and from each city every day.

American's Reservations team will contact affected customers directly by email or telephone. Customers who booked through a travel agent will be contacted by their agency.

If a flight is canceled and a customer chooses to not be rebooked, they can request a full refund by visiting aa.com/refunds.

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Airline mayhem

Passenger who was duct taped on Milwaukee-to-Dallas flight arrested

Courtesy photo

Duct tape

An unruly man who was duct-taped by fellow passengers on a flight from Milwaukee to Dallas has been charged for assaulting a flight attendant.

According to a release from U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton, Abdul-al-Jabbar Oloruntoba Olaiya, 29, was charged via criminal complaint with interfering with a flight crew by assault or intimidation within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.

Olaiya injured a flight attendant in an attempt to exit the plane mid-air.

According to court documents, on November 19, roughly two hours into the flight from Milwaukee to Dallas, Olaiya became frustrated with the flight attendant as she worked the forward galley.

Witnesses told law enforcement they heard Olaiya say he was “captain of this flight” and needed to “get off the plane.”

He then allegedly charged the flight attendant in an attempt to access the aircraft exit door. The flight attendant, identified in court documents as S.J., used her body to shield the door and was injured in the scuffle.

Other passengers rushed to assist, tackling Olaiya and duct-taping his wrists and ankles, then keeping him subdued for the rest of the flight. With only 30 minutes left, the pilots continued to DFW, calling the tower for priority landing and taxing. The incident made national news.

Once they landed, Olaiya was removed from the plane by officers and taken in for a mental evaluation. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Levi Thomas is prosecuting the case.

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