And other travel stories you may have missed last week.
This week in travel, we’ve uncovered several stories that might have flown under your radar. Among them: a tourist climbed onto the altar at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City; a violent passenger had to be subdued by flight attendants after he attacked a woman; and 91 people became sick on a cruise ship.
Dive into these and more as we examine the latest in travel news.
NO.1
PASSENGER CRACKS WINDOW MID-FLIGHT
On a Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Houston, an unruly passenger cracked a window by kicking it. The man began punching the seat after the woman in front of him asked to change seats. He then kicked the window, breaking the interior glass panel. This occurred 20 minutes after takeoff.
A Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Houston turned chaotic Tuesday night when passengers had to restrain a disruptive man who cracked an interior window panel, according to witnesses on board.
Full story: https://t.co/AxP2VOh9ie pic.twitter.com/6MF2zBo8QH
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) February 7, 2025
Victoria Clark, who was sitting across the aisle with her three-year-old, noticed that people around the man had moved away and flight attendants were not nearby. Her fiancé, seated several rows away, along with other passengers, restrained the man using shoelaces and flex cuffs until the flight landed an hour and a half later.
NO.2
MAN DAMAGES ALTAR AT ST. PETER’S BASILICA
A tourist knocked over a 19th-century candelabra at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City last week. The man, identified as Romanian, climbed onto the altar, pulled off the altar cloth, and damaged the candelabra before security guards restrained him. A Vatican spokesperson said the man had a serious mental disability. He was “detained by the Vatican Police and then placed at the disposal of the Italian authorities.”
The historic church is one of the most revered places for Christians, and 32 million visitors are expected to travel to Rome in 2025 to celebrate the Catholic Jubilee.
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NO.3
MORE THAN 90 PEOPLE FALL SICK ON ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE
During an eight-week itinerary aboard Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas, 89 passengers and two crew members (out of 2,164 passengers and 910 crew members) fell ill due to an unknown cause. They experienced symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhea and vomiting.
The cruise line has isolated the sick passengers and crew and increased disinfection procedures, according to the CDC. Stool samples have been collected to determine the cause of the illness.
Related: Staying Healthy on your Cruise
NO.4
ALASKA PLANE CRASH KILLS 10
A regional flight from Unalakleet to Nome, Alaska, crashed on Thursday, killing all 10 people on board—nine passengers and the pilot. Their bodies have been recovered.
Operated by Bering Air, the Cessna aircraft disappeared 12 miles offshore from Nome and was found 34 miles southeast of Nome. The pilot did not communicate the plane’s position through the emergency transmitter, but visibility is believed to have been low at the time of the crash.
The plane experienced an event “which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed,” Coast Guard Lt. Commander Benjamin McIntyre-Coble told CNN.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash. The wreckage is currently resting on an ice float, which is moving five miles a day. It will be retrieved for analysis as soon as weather conditions allow.
Related: Washington Plane Crash Has Chilling Echoes of 46-Year-Old Accident
NO.5
FLIGHT ATTENDANT PUNCHES VIOLENT PASSENGER TO SAVE A FEMALE PASSENGER
In a video that has gone viral on social media, a flight attendant is seen punching a passenger in the throat and torso while someone screams, “Let go of her hair.”
On an Alaska Airlines flight scheduled to depart from Oakland for Portland, a man grabbed the hair of a female passenger seated in front of him. A flight attendant intervened to save the woman, punching the man to force him to release her. The flight attendant restrained the man and asked another male passenger to assist until police arrived.
Alaska Airlines Flight 2221 incident Oakland, CA 2/1/2024 ~10:35 am pic.twitter.com/ND7g1YqUVz
— chad_bro_chill_17 (@walterizzle) February 1, 2025
The flight returned to the gate and was ultimately canceled. The man was taken into custody, and Alaska Airlines confirmed he has been banned from the airline. The airline’s statement explained that the passenger was experiencing a violent medical episode. “Our crew responded to this chaotic situation quickly and kept all guests safe until law enforcement could intervene.”
