Two strangers who decided to join the “Mile High Club” on a Delta Airlines flight will likely avoid any criminal charges.
The 48-year-old woman and 28-year-old man were on a flight from Los Angeles to Detroit on Sunday when the incident occurred. Nearby passengers spotted the unidentified woman performing oral sex on the unidentified man and alerted the flight’s crew. They were taken into airport custody upon landing and their case had been handed over to the FBI.
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While initial reports claimed that the frisky duo could potentially face misdemeanor or felony charges, recent reports claim that they will likely get off scot-free with just a slap on the hand and fines of up to $800 or more.
“It’s going to be very hard to find that this is criminal conduct under the federal code because it’s not a threat to the safety of the airline, or other passengers,” Wayne State University law professor and former federal prosecutor Peter Henning told the Detroit Free Press. “It’s certainly distasteful, but it was not disruptive or interfering with the operation of the plane — and that’s typically what (airline incident) charges involve … The embarrassment is probably the biggest punishment they can receive “
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Detroit Metro Airport spokesperson Erica Donnerson said that the two passengers, who were strangers before the flight, had been issued citations by the FBI, but she was unaware if any further punishment was to come.
“The FBI issued the citations, so they are handling the case. All I know is that (the FBI) responded and took it from there … We have a police report, so I’m assuming something happened.”
Detroit’s former FBI Chief Andy Arena, who had seen cases of misconduct on planes in the past, said that while charges aren’t likely, they aren’t entirely out of the questions. Whether or not charges are pressed will depend on the circumstances surrounding the case.
