Drunken Passenger Diverts Nashville-To-Tampa Flight

BIRMINGHAM, AL -- A Southwest Airlines passenger lost his Christmas spirit after too much holiday cheer, drunkenly assaulting a flight attendant and forcing a Nashville-to-Tampa flight to land in Birmingham, Ala., according to police.

The Tampa-bound plane landed in Birmingham at 6:15 p.m. Friday and law enforcement there escorted the unruly man off the plane. Sgt. Bryan Shelton with the Birmingham Police Department told WBRC that a flight attendant was assaulted while a man was being disorderly, but was not injured. Other passengers helped subdue the man until the plane landed.

The man resisted the officers taking him off the plane, according to Birmingham police, and was "highly intoxicated."

Southwest issued a statement after Friday's incident:

"The crew in command of Flight 5024 from Nashville to Tampa diverted to Birmingham due to an unruly passenger. Once safely on the ground, local law enforcement removed the Customer from the aircraft. Please contact local law enforcement for further information. The flight has departed Birmingham and will now arrive in Tampa about an hour behind schedule."

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