Angry passenger smashes American Airlines check-in counter with hammer after fake ticket scam uncovered
A man was arrested at Santiago airport on Tuesday after causing significant damage in the American Airlines check-in area. The man, who is said to be of Haitian descent, had purchased a ticket to Miami and discovered upon arrival that the ticket was fake.
When the man learned that he could not travel, he became angry and called a hammer from his backpack. Witnesses watched in shock as he smashed several computers and large check-in screens at the American Airlines counter.
Even in Chile. pic.twitter.com/yZfUsJlASw
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) 28 August 2024
Local police estimate that he caused about 20 million Chilean pesos (US$22,000) in damages in the incident. Police in the western prefecture of Santiago confirmed that they had arrested the man. It turned out that he had the hammer with him because he is a construction worker and had come to the airport directly from work.
American Airlines confirmed the incident and stated:
We thank our team for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.
Despite the location and the yellow flag, I think it’s important to point out that this is not a Spirit Airlines passenger. And since the man bought a fake ticket – someone took his money and told him they booked him a ticket – I think it’s important to point out that it’s a better idea to book direct. And if you get scammed, it’s the fault of the person who scammed you, not the check-in computers.
