PHOENIX – As news spread of a flight incident involving a person who was caught vaping, we are speaking with the man involved.
The backstory:
According to initial reports from our sister station KTVU in San Francisco, Peter Nguyen recorded the Aug. 4 encounter between himself and a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 2860 from Phoenix to San Francisco International Airport, which was a two-hour flight.
Nguyen reportedly said he “only took one puff” of his vape before the flight attendant barged into the bathroom. At the start of the nearly two-minute video, Nguyen is heard telling the flight attendant he was sitting on the toilet when she opened the door.
The attendant appears to be explaining the safety hazards of his actions. Nguyen apologizes.
“You can keep saying you’re sorry, but I care about all these passengers,” the flight attendant replies.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, smoking of any kind, including vaping, is prohibited on aircraft and is a federal offense.
In the video, the flight attendant appears to reach for Nguyen’s phone when she realizes he is recording.
Nguyen alleges the woman put her hands on him, though no physical contact is seen in the footage.
Nguyen apologizes after video went viral
On Aug. 8, we spoke with Nguyen over video conferencing.
What He’s Saying:
“Do you wish you never even vaped in the bathroom on that plane?” we asked Nguyen.
“I wish I never picked up a vape to begin with,” Nguyen replied.
Nguyen said with 35 minutes left in the two-hour flight, he was having nicotine withdrawal.
“It sucks knowing in order to be myself, I have to have nicotine,” said Nguyen. “I feel so helpless.”
In the video, Nguyen went on to demand an apology from the flight attendant for opening the lavatory door while he said he was on the toilet. In certain situations, flight attendants are able to override the lock on the lavatory door. Nguyen now admits he was embarrassed he got caught, and is trying to put an end to his vaping habits, especially after the viral moment.
“The more you do it, like, the less effective it is,” said Nguyen. “It’s like your body builds a tolerance to it.”
Nguyen also apologized to other passengers.
“From the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry to the other passengers,” said Nguyen. “There is no excuse. No excuse for what happened.”
What’s next:
Officials with American Airlines said the passenger was noted for disruptive behavior, but the flight crew did not request further police action.
Nguyen, meanwhile, said he has not been fined by the Federal Aviation Administration, or received any alerts from AA about being put on the no-fly list.