Passenger Brian Plummer told
The New York Times that before they exited the plane, the pair had changed seats several times on a flight that wasn't full. The man finally stood up and ignored a flight attendant’s order to take a seat for takeoff, telling the attendant that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, Plummer added.
“If I sit down, I’ll freak out,” the man said, according to Plummer.
The aircraft was forced to return to the gate where the remaining customers got off and were later put on alternate flights.
The incident recalled the 2010 case of Steven Slater, a JetBlue flight attendant who activated a chute during a tantrum on a plane landing at Kennedy Airport. He went on the public address system, swore at a passenger who he claimed treated him rudely, grabbed a beer and slid down onto the tarmac.