A flight was cancelled this week after terrified passengers were forced to endure a rant from a flight attendant who challenged them to leave the plane 'if anyone had the balls' to do so.

The attendant, who some passengers said seemed drunk, lost his temper at customers frustrated after their flight had been delayed for five hours.

Passengers expressed fears that Jose Serrano might endanger the flight, after he told them: 'I don't care any more. This is probably my last flight.'


Feelings were running high during Monday's American Eagle flight from New York's LaGuardia airport to Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina, scheduled to depart at 1pm, according to the New York Post.

The two-hour journey was delayed because of persistent rain, and passengers were not even allowed to board the aeroplane until 4pm.

However, even after the flight was given the green light to depart, the plane was at the end of a queue of 20 aircraft - and 40 minutes later the pilot turned around to re-fuel.

At 6pm, passengers were finally allowed to re-board - and it was at this point that Serrano took to the plane's public-address system after several passengers had threatened to leave the plane.

'If anyone has the balls to want to get off, I'll let you get off! Get off!', he shouted over the intercom.

'I'm not responsible for the weather! I don't care anymore. This is probably my last flight.'

Passenger Jon Wurster told the Post: 'I think other people might have taken that to mean, "Who knows what he's going to do when we get in the air?"'

The tirade, which was caught on camera and posted online by one passenger, led to several people on the plane refusing to fly with Serrano on board.

David Abels, who was flying with his nine-year-old daughter, said: 'He's being abusive verbally, my daughter was crying.'

Port Authority police were called to the aircraft and took Serrano away for questioning.

The flight was finally cancelled at 8pm - according to one source, this was because there were not enough staff remaining after Serrano was removed.

However, American Eagle has insisted that the flight was cancelled because of the rain - meaning that the airline did not have to pay for passengers' hotel bills.

Some passengers claimed that Serrano smelt of alcohol when he launched into his threatening rant.

A spokesman for the airline denied that the flight attendant was drunk, though he admitted that Serrano had not undergone a breathalyser test.

'From what we can determine, this is just kind of a group dynamic that got out of control because of weather delays and things like that,' the spokesman said.

'He has been with the company for six years and has an exemplary record. And basically, it appears that the situation with the passengers became so intense that he actually began to cry.'

The incident is currently being investigated by American Eagle and the Federal Aviation Authority.