A US flight was diverted on Sunday after a female passenger accused a male passenger of choking her for reclining her seat.
The pilot of Southwest Airlines Flight 2010 from Los Angeles, California to San Francisco was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing as a result of what he described as a “rapidly escalating situation involving passengers who were not traveling together,” a statement from the airline said.
The statement quoted witnesses on the flight as saying the woman reported a man sitting behind her tried to strangle her because she put back her seat.
The suspect was said to have been questioned by police but no arrests were made.
The remaining passengers boarded another flight to San Francisco and arrived five hours late.
Information from the International Air Transport Association says it cost around $200,000 dollars every time a flight is diverted.