Pre-Flight Assault Sends Southwest Employee to Hospital Before Takeoff to NYC, Officials Say

A woman was arrested and a Southwest Airlines employee hospitalized after a confrontation at Dallas Love Field on Saturday, authorities say.

A passenger “verbally and physically” assaulted a Southwest Airlines employee during the boarding process for a flight from Dallas to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, an airline spokesperson said.

Dallas police said the passenger, 32-year-old Arielle Jean Jackson, boarded and got into a “verbal altercation” with a flight attendant at the back of the plane.

Jackson then went to the front of the plane, where she confronted a second employee, who she struck “with a closed fist to the head,” police said.

Dallas police said the employee was taken to a hospital in stable condition, while Jackson was charged with aggravated assault.

“Southwest Airlines maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding any type of harassment or assault and fully support our employee as we cooperate with local authorities regarding this unacceptable incident,” the airline said in a written statement.