American Airlines halts alcohol sales on flights to and from DC after riot at Capitol

American Airlines has paused alcohol sales on flights to and from Washington, D.C. following Wednesday’s riot at the Capitol and several on-board incidents.

The airline told McClatchy it has also boosted staffing at D.C. airports “as a precautionary measure.”

“At American, safety is our highest priority,” the airline said in a statement. “We are working closely with local law enforcement and airport authority partners to ensure the safety of our customers and team members on the ground and in the air ... We will continue to enforce policies that ensure our customers’ and team members’ safety and wellbeing.”

The move comes after reports of disorderly passengers on flights to the D.C. area on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s riot at the Capitol, Business Insider reported.

Details of these incidents haven’t been released, but one union noted several incidents where flight attendants “were forced to confront passengers exhibiting politically motivated aggression towards other passengers and crew,” according to CNN.

The president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants acknowledged incidents on flights to D.C. in a message to members and encouraged them to remain “vigilant” on flights from the D.C. area, CNN reported.

“As safety professionals, we are well trained in handling inflight disruptions, but we should never find ourselves having to deal with politically motivated verbal or physical altercations onboard,” the message said, according to the outlet.

On Tuesday, video went viral of President Donald Trump supporters heckling Republican U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah at the Salt Lake City airport as he awaited a flight to Washington, The New York Times reported.

One video showed a woman approaching Romney and pressing him on why he wasn’t “supporting President Trump” in the election and his claims of election fraud.

Prior to Wednesday’s riots, American and United Airlines said they had started booking flight crews into airport hotels away from the city center, CNBC reported.

Alaska Airlines flight crews were told to avoid downtown Washington D.C., according to the outlet.

Flight crews were also moved from central Washington, D.C. hotels on Election Day due to concerns over potential demonstrations.

This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 6:46 AM with the headline "American Airlines halts alcohol sales on flights to and from DC after riot at Capitol."