Flight attendant on Hilo-bound Hawaiian Airlines jet attacked by passenger

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaiian Airlines said Thursday a passenger assaulted one of its flight attendants in an unprovoked attack during a flight.

The airline said the incident occurred shortly after flight HA152 left Honolulu for Hilo at 7:30 a.m. The flight attendant was walking down the aisle at the time.

The pilot returned the plane to Honolulu, where the passenger got off and “was met by authorities,” the airline said in a statement. An FBI spokesperson said she was trying to get information.

Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson Alex Da Silva said the flight attendant was evaluated for injuries and released from work to rest.

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, released the following statement on an assault against the flight attendant.

“This attack is reprehensible,”he said. “I’ve been in direct contact with Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has assured me that this incident will be fully investigated by the FAA. The assailant must be held accountable and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. There should be zero tolerance for this kind of despicable attack.”