A male passenger who refused to stop sending e-mail from his mobile phone caused a one-hour delay in a plane's departure from Kagoshima airport on Friday, Japan Airlines said Saturday.
A flight attendant repeatedly asked the man in his 30s to stop as JAL Flight 1864 bound for Tokyo's Haneda airport began to taxi toward the runway, but he grabbed her by the lapels, insulted her and spat at her, the airline said.
The captain turned the Airbus A-300 with 274 passengers and crew back to a passenger gate and the crew made him get off.
In spite of his abusive attitude, he was allowed to get back on the plane after promising not to use his cell phone while on board. The flight finally departed at 11:41 a.m., one hour behind schedule.
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