Unruly passenger prompts plane's return to Houston airport just after takeoff

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HOUSTON (AP) — A flight returned to a Houston airport just after takeoff early Wednesday because of an unruly passenger, authorities said.

There were reports that a male passenger on Flight 2557 from Houston's Hobby Airport to Atlanta had tried to break into the cockpit, but that wasn't the case, Delta Air Lines said in a statement. The passenger did exhibit “unruly and unlawful behavior toward other customers” and met by police after the flight returned to the airport, it said.

A Houston police spokesperson said that when officers were called, dispatch was told that a person was trying to breach a cockpit. Officers detained one male, said the spokesperson, who hadn't heard of any reported injuries.

The flight departed again and arrived in Atlanta about 90 minutes behind schedule, said Delta, which didn’t go into specifics about the passenger’s behavior.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate.

Last year, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launched an air travel civility campaign, noting that the FAA had seen a 400% increase of in-flight outbursts since 2019 and 13,800 unruly passenger incidents since 2021.