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Topics: Travel, World News, Technology
Emily Brown
A 56-year-old woman was arrested at an airport in Mexico after climbing over the desks and smashing computers in a bout of rage.
I know a lot of people consider the airport to be a stressful environment, but it's really not the computers' fault...
The passenger, identified by the name María, was caught on camera taking out her anger on the machines at Mexico City International Airport on Tuesday (4 July), after learning there was an issue with her flight reservation.
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She had been planning to fly with Volaris airlines, however she'd sparked concern after trying and failing to pay for her flight on a number of different credit cards.
“Apparently the lady had tried to make the payment with several credit cards without success, causing our fraud prevention system to issue a security alert," the airline said in a statement after the incident.
Volaris said the woman 'reacted violently' when she was told she had to complete the purchase for her ticket - a claim evidenced in the mobile phone footage shared online after the scene unfolded.
In the clip, María could be seen jumping over the ticket counter before grabbing various computer monitors and keyboards, throwing them violently to the ground and smashing them into several pieces.
The outburst is believed to have come after María sought to get a refund for the flight.
She shouted: "If you don't want to, don't give me the money back. I don't give a f***. But that's going to cost you.
"Don't give it to me. But you pay for that, and if you don't want to, it's very nice."
María threw at least three monitors to the ground before jumping back over the counter and storming off, after which she was placed in custody by Auxiliary Police.
"Ambassadors on site activated the corresponding security protocol with the support of the airport authority," Volaris said.
The airline described María's behavior as 'erratic and unfortunate', adding: “For Volaris, the safety of its customers is of the utmost importance.
“For this reason, Volaris works closely with the authorities to permanently reinforce key procedures and ensure that no behavior occurs that puts the integrity of our customers, ambassadors and crews at risk, whether at airports or on board our aircraft.”
Volaris also said a 'reparation agreement was reached for the damages' of the equipment, which is reported to have included four computers and four scanners.
As well as damaging equipment, María was also accused of disturbing peace at the airport.
UNILAD has reached out to Volaris and Mexico City International Airport for comment.