Spirit Airlines passenger banned for life after vaping on flight
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A 30-year-old Spirit Airlines passenger on a flight from Detroit to New Orleans recently got himself banned for life after deciding to take a smoke break in the plane’s bathroom.
An attendant on Flight NK 985 told a deputy on Tuesday that she saw him take a drag from an e-cigarette and exhale into a bag, said Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Jason Rivarde. She admonished him.
The St. Petersburg, Florida, resident then got up and headed for the restroom, according to a report filed with the sheriff’s office. While he was in the bathroom, the plane’s smoke alarm went off.
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When a deputy met the plane at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, the unidentified passenger denied smoking in the restroom, according to the report. He told a deputy he didn’t know smoking was prohibited on flights.
The passenger was not arrested but he may never again fly with Spirit: The deputy’s report said the company banned him for life.
“It’s a private business that can ban customers at their own leisure,” Rivarde said.
“It’s like telling you not to come back to the restaurant. Once he was on the ground, he was cooperative with our deputies so he didn’t face any criminal charges.”
Vaping apparently wasn’t his only problem.
Another passenger complained to the flight attendant that he had been drinking from bottles of alcohol that he brought on board – which is also prohibited, according to the sheriff’s office.
Spirit Airlines has not responded to a request for comment.
‘Offensive’ tattoos and ‘see-through clothing’ can get you kicked off Spirit Airlines flight
Passengers flying Spirit Airlines might need to conceal some tattoos or put on more clothing, according to the airline’s updated contract.
Passengers flying Spirit Airlines might need to conceal some tattoos or put on more clothing for their next flight, according to the airline’s updated contract for travelers.
As of January 22, Spirit has updated its contract of carriage, declaring passengers “shall not be permitted to board” or “may be required to leave an aircraft” if they are “barefoot or inadequately clothed, or whose clothing or article, including body art, is lewd, obscene, or offensive in nature.”
It also describes “inadequately clothed” as “see-through clothing, not adequately covered, exposed breasts, buttocks or other private parts.”
Fashion choices have long been a problem for air travelers, as many have been singled out and denied boarding, and in some cases, gone viral for their situations.
Spirit previously had banned barefoot passengers and clothing deemed “lewd, obscene or offensive in nature,” but specified further in its update to the contract.
In October, a woman named Tara Kehidi said she and a friend were asked by a Spirit flight attendant to leave because they were wearing crop tops. The situation has happened on other airlines, too.
In 2019, American Airlines apologized to Latisha “Tisha” Rowe after she said she was humiliated and told she couldn’t fly unless she covered up her strapless romper.
CNN has reached out to Spirit Airlines for further comment.
Passengers banned after fight on Spirit Airlines flight to Boston
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Senior Digital Editor/Producer, WCVB.com
EAST BOSTON, Mass. —
A group of passengers who got in a fight on a Spirit Airlines flight that was en route to Boston are now banned for life.
The fight that happened on a flight from Myrtle Beach to Logan International Airport on Tuesday night was captured on cellphone video.
A flight attendant is seen on the video trying to break up the fight.
“We do not tolerate disruptive behavior of any kind, and the passengers involved are no longer welcome on any of our flights,” the airline said in a statement.
It’s not clear what led to the altercation.
There were no injuries, and no arrests have been made.
The passengers’ names were not released.
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Get the Facts: What makes Greenland so valuable — and why President Trump is interested
The president has wanted power over Greenland since 2019
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NEW YORK —
Greenland’s presence in the news in recent months has been nearly as large as it appears on a map. Despite housing a freezing climate and a sparse population, it’s gotten worldwide attention recently as the country becomes further entrenched in American politics.
Since at least 2019, President Donald Trump has expressed interest in the Danish territory, and statements of his desire have increased in frequency and intent throughout his second term.
In mid-January, at the 2026 NATO conference in Davos, Switzerland, Trump repeatedly claimed that the U.S. would soon take control of Greenland. Meanwhile, the Greenlandic and Danish governments appear to strongly oppose any shift in control of the country.
Why has Greenland become a focus for the administration?
President Trump has publicly touted its strategic location between the U.S. and its allies and adversaries.
“Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security,” Trump told reporters in January.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that the president believes Greenland is “essential for the Golden Dome missile shield.”
Research and analysis from the Get the Facts Data Team reveals more reasons Greenland is attractive to world leaders.
Where is Greenland?
Greenland primarily sits within the Arctic Circle, right between the U.S., Europe, and Russia.
The capital city of Nuuk, where nearly a quarter of Greenland’s population lives, is about 2,000 flight miles away from Washington, D.C.
That puts those two capitals closer than Nuuk and Copenhagen, Denmark. Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but operates as a self-governing body rather than as a colony.
Greenland’s capital is also about 5,200 miles from Beijing, China, and nearly 2,900 miles from Moscow, Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said it “doesn’t concern us at all,” regarding Trump’s move to acquire Greenland.
Greenland and the military
Greenland doesn’t have a full military of its own. It operates under the Danish Defense force, which is located at the Joint Arctic Command in the south, where nearly all military activity happens.
The few other bases are minor or only for a specific purpose. For example, Daneborg is home to the special forces unit known as Force Sirius, a group of trained sled dogs.
The U.S. signed the Defense of Greenland agreement in 1951, which allowed it to keep military bases in the country under the control of NATO. Only one, the Pituffik Space Base, remains — a far cry from before, when the number of U.S. bases was at least a dozen. Pituffik has been under American military control since the 1950s, and since 2020, has been operated specifically by the U.S. Space Force.
Greenland is flush with minerals
Greenland is home to a vast amount of raw materials, including oil, gas, diamonds, lithium, gold and zinc, among others. Considering roughly 80% of the country is covered in ice, it has a lack of mines. However, scientists believe there is a bounty of natural resources to be found underground.
The cost and Greenland’s iciness have stopped people from tapping into the riches of the sizable landscape. The population is largely on the west side of the country, with only about 5% of people located on the east side, where many of the minerals are located.
Greenland by the numbers
There are 57,000 people living in Greenland — about the same population as cities such as Lancaster, Pennsylvania, or Olympia, Washington. The population is 88% Greenlandic.
While the country may not contain a lot of people, it consists of a lot of land. Greenland is 836,300 square miles, making it larger than Texas, California, Montana, New Mexico and Arizona combined. If the population of Greenland were spread evenly across the entire country, each person would have 15 square miles to themselves.
The U.S. and Greenland’s history
It’s not the first time the U.S. has signaled a desire for Greenland. Since 1867, when the then-Secretary of State William H. Seward looked into buying Greenland soon after the U.S. took over Alaska, the U.S. government has discussed or attempted to take control of Greenland at least four times.
Greenlanders, as they’re known, have their own opinion on ownership. A 2025 poll found that 85% of Greenlandic people oppose joining the U.S., while a slight majority are in favor of becoming an independent nation.
