Kindergarten in the Sky

When Richard Lent, a tax lawyer, boarded an 8 a.m. Eastern Air Lines shuttle in Washington bound for New York City last week, he took a seat in the rear section of the plane and, mindful of his rights, demanded that his area on the filled aircraft be designated a nonsmoking section. The flight attendants obliged, but some passengers apparently did not hear the ensuing announcement. When a few lit up, Lent lashed out. The fuming smokers decided they would rather fight than switch. Then, according to one flight attendant, "The screaming, yelling and hollering, shoving and insults really started."

Captain Larry Kinsey announced to the passengers: "Please act like adults. If this insurrection doesn't stop, I'm gonna put this plane down." The uproar continued. Kinsey, good as his word, landed at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Some disgusted passengers canceled out, and the rest boarded a new plane with a new crew and arrived in New York about three hours late. Huffed Passenger Emory Kristof: "I haven't seen a display like that since kindergarten."

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