PHOENIX — A woman has been ordered to pay American Airlines nearly $39,000 after her poor conduct during a 2022 flight to Honolulu resulted in the pilot turning the plane back around to Phoenix.
Cayla Farris, 29, of Hawaii was sentenced last week in an Arizona court to three years of supervised probation after she pleaded guilty to interfering with a flight crew member, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of Arizona.
In February 2022, Farris was a passenger on a flight from Phoenix to Honolulu and began using profanity while on board. After the defendant threatened the flight crew and other passengers, the captain decided to turn the plane around and land in Phoenix.
The incident resulted in several flights having to be rerouted to Hawaii.
U.S. District Judge Susan M. Brnovich sentenced Farris to a time-served sentence of 3.6 months in prison. The defendant will have to obtain approval before boarding an aircraft while she's on probation.
UP TO SPEED
Watch 12News+ for free
You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12News+ app!
The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.
Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives.
Roku: Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for "12 News KPNX."
Amazon Fire TV: Search for "12 News KPNX" to find the free 12News+ app to add to your account, or have the 12News+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.