A Sun Country Airlines flight attendant has been charged with second-degree assault following a Monday confrontation aboard Flight 193 from Minneapolis to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, an incident that ended with a Washington, D.C.-area coach and her father removed from the plane before it left the gate. Coach Lauren Price and her team, DMV Prime Elite, were flying home from the Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa, when the dispute with attendant Jean Riegelman broke out over seating. Price says the confrontation turned into accusations of racially motivated remarks, ending with airport security escorting her and her father off the aircraft while her children remained on board.
Price, who is Black, told CBS News Baltimore that Riegelman made racially motivated comments toward her and her players during boarding. The team had booked 19 seats for the trip home, but only 17 were needed after two travelers didn’t make the flight, according to the outlet. Price says she moved into one of the empty seats so her young players could sit together, which prompted Riegelman to ask her to return to her assigned seat.
A Seating Request Turns Into a Shouting Match
According to Price’s account reported by CBS News Baltimore, Riegelman told her, “if you people would sit in your right seat, we would be able to push back, because of you 186 people we’re delayed.” Price’s father spoke up during the exchange, and a second flight attendant initially told Price that Riegelman would not be removed from the flight. Riegelman, for her part, told Price she could do whatever she wanted, per the same report.
The confrontation escalated further while passengers were deplaning, when Price’s sister attempted to record Riegelman on her phone. Price alleges Riegelman tried to swat the phone from her sister’s hand. Airport security then intervened, and Price’s children, who were on the flight, became visibly upset as their mother and grandfather were escorted off the plane.
Ejected With One Minute to Leave
Once off the aircraft, security officers gave Price and her father just one minute to exit before facing detention by airport police, according to WUSA9. Price was not allowed back onto the plane and ultimately paid $500 out of pocket to arrange alternative transportation home for herself and her family. Sun Country employees told her they would process a refund for the original flight, though Price says she had not received additional details as of Wednesday afternoon…