Man fired from job after being restrained with duct tape on flight over ‘racist meltdown’

The 'conduct' of a man during an American Airlines flight has cost him his job.

Flight attendants were forced to duct tape Arthur Lundeen to his chair after he was allegedly racist to staff and violent towards fellow passengers.

Chaos erupted in first class during the journey from Dallas, Texas, to Newark, New Jersey, last Thursday (3 September) - and now Lundeen is facing both legal and professional consequences.

Travellers who witnessed the incident onboard American Airlines flight 618 have spoken out about what unfolded around two hours after takeoff.

Retired police officer Juan Mejia claims to have been bitten by Lundeen after intervening, while Richard Olenick says he also attempted to do the same to him.

The 67-year-old passenger was arrested after the flight was diverted to Maryland (Instagram/Richard Olenick)

The pair were sat two rows behind the unruly 67-year-old when he suddenly 'started to become abusive and using profanity', they previously told CNN.

Mejia and Olenick claim that Lundeen also used 'racial and homophobic slurs' after allegedly striking two passengers who were sat nearby.

A flight attendant gave the duo and a third person a zip tie to restrain Lundeen, before another airline employee then offered them duct tape.

"Physically, it lessened his ability to move for sure," Olenick said. "But it did not solve the issue. He was still pushing and resisting and trying to get up.

"We don’t know exactly what happened, what triggered it. But whatever it was, it was pretty intense."

'Yelling and chaos' erupted in first class

Mejia also told CBS News that Lundeen's behaviour flipped 'just like a light switch'.

"All of a sudden, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos. Everyone who was in first class was basically victimised by his spewing of hatred and the discrimination, and the hostility, and vulgarness that was coming out of his mouth."

Olenick said he spent 15 minutes sitting on Lundeen's lap while the flight was diverted to Maryland.

The passenger was arrested by Maryland Transportation Police and removed from the plane, which then continued its journey to Newark.

Lundeen was charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, according to TMZ, while the FBI is also reportedly considering if he will face further federal charges.

He is said to have been released and will be in court on 19 October.

American Airlines described Lundeen - who has since lost his job - as a 'disruptive customer' (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Lundeen's LinkedIn profile has since been removed, however, he was previously listed as being vice president at the Tucson real estate firm Long Realty.

But the company has since announced that he is no longer affiliated with it.

In a statement shared to social media, Long Realty said it was 'aware of reports concerning criminal charges filed against a former affiliated real estate agent arising from an incident that allegedly occurred during a commercial flight'.

It read: "Upon learning of the incident, Long Realty promptly ended its affiliation with the individual. The individual is no longer associated with or authorised to represent Long Realty in any capacity.

"The conduct described in the reports is wholly inconsistent with the professionalism, integrity, compassion, and respect for others that Long Realty expects from those affiliated with the company.

What has been said since the incident

"We expect those associated with our company to uphold those values, and we have no tolerance for conduct that so clearly falls short of those expectations," the statement continued.

"Our focus remains on serving our clients and community in accordance with our values. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew members and others affected by this incident."

American Airlines said of the incident: "On 3 September, American Airlines flight 618 diverted to Baltimore (BWI) due to a disruptive customer.

"Upon arrival, law enforcement met the aircraft and assisted with deplaning the customer before the flight continued to its destination.

"The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we do not tolerate violence.

"We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding."

LADbible Group previously contacted American Airlines for further comment.