The incident took place on October 28 at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 as passengers waited to board the BA191 flight to Austin, Texas. One woman allegedly told another passenger to remove her red “Make America Great Again” hat.
When the Trump supporter declined, a physical confrontation reportedly ensued, which continued in the plane’s premium economy section where the two were seated.
The brawl delayed the flight for two hours on the tarmac, with departure scheduled for 12:10 p.m. but not occurring until 2:11 p.m. Police were called to de-escalate the situation, and the two women were escorted off the plane.
Neither was arrested, though each reportedly blamed the other for starting the incident.
A source from Heathrow Airport told The Sun that emotions were “sky high” so close to the U.S. election on November 5, noting that the crew couldn’t risk an altercation at 30,000 feet.
The source added that such delays over a baseball cap were unprecedented for British Airways.
According to The Sun, the Metropolitan Police confirmed the women involved were in their 40s and 60s, respectively, and the investigation into the onboard incident is ongoing.
