Overview

• Peter Nguyen was caught vaping in the lavatory of American Airlines flight 2860 from Phoenix to San Francisco on August 4 and was confronted by a flight attendant.
• Nguyen recorded the exchange and posted it to Instagram, where the footage went viral on multiple platforms and drew widespread online criticism.
• Upon arrival in San Francisco, the San Francisco Police Department escorted Nguyen off the aircraft for disruptive behavior, as confirmed by American Airlines.
• Federal aviation regulations prohibit in-flight vaping and carry fines of up to $1,771 for violators, with additional penalties for tampering with smoke detectors.
• American Airlines has launched an internal review of the incident and no formal charges against Nguyen have been disclosed.