CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A passenger on US Airways flight 1697 from Charlotte to Fort Myers had to be restrained and put in hand ties after attacking the flight crew, according to an airline employee. The news was first reported on NBC17.

Read the original report on NBC17.com.

NBC-17 reporter Jonathan Carlson, who witnessed the aftermath in the terminal, spoke exclusively with members of the flight crew onboard US Airways flight 1697. 

They say the woman got out of her seat and attacked the flight crew, spitting in their faces, knocking one flight attendant to the ground and kicking the crew.  One female flight attendant had bruises and bandages up her arms in addition to scratch marks.

The flight arrived in Fort Myers shortly after 6 p.m. and was greeted by police and paramedics. The woman was taken out of the airport by police once the plane arrived.  She was observed by medics in the terminal before being taken away. During that time she was screaming and crying. 

The flight crew said a Lee County Florida sheriff’s deputy happened to be on board and helped tackle the woman.  Flight attendants say the woman complained of being scared of flying shortly before she became violent.

The same flight crew on Flight 1697 flew the return trip to Charlotte later Tuesday night.  They were shaken and looking forward to returning to North Carolina. That flight arrived safely around 9:30 Tuesday night.

Passengers on board were shaken; one saying the woman was restrained against a wall before being tied. Others praised the flight crew on how they handled the situation.

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A JetBlue flight from John F. Kennedy Airport to Las Vegas was diverted after the pilot began behaving erratically, pounding on the door of the cockpit and yelling about threats from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, authorities and passengers said.

Flight 191 left New York City at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday with 135 passengers on board, and at about 10 a.m. the plane was diverted to Amarillo, Texas.

Read the original report on NBCNewYork.com.

JetBlue said in a statement that the plane was diverted "for a medical situation involving the captain."

Tony Antolino, a 40-year-old executive for a security firm, said the captain walked to the back of the plane, that he seemed disoriented and agitated, then began yelling about an unspecified threat linked to Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.

"They're going to take us down, they're taking us down, they're going to take us down. Say the Lord's prayer, say the Lord's prayer," the captain screamed, according to Antolino.

"He was irate," said passenger Josh Redick. "He was spouting off about Afghanistan and souls and al-Qaida."

The Federal Aviation Administration said the co-pilot became concerned about the captain's "erratic behavior during the flight" and locked the cockpit door while the pilot was outside.

Antolino, who said he sat in the 10th row, said he and three others tackled the captain as he ran for the cockpit door, pinned him and held him down while the plane landed.

"That's how we landed," he said. "There were four of us on top of him. ... Everybody else kind of took a seat and that's how we landed."

He was taken to a medical facility after the plane landed. 

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Updated Feb. 23, 10:25 a.m. ET --

PORTLAND -- A flight out of Portland International Airport returned to the terminal Tuesday, after the flight crew had a problem with a belligerent Saudi Arabian passenger who was yelling about terrorism, according to authorities.

Yazeed Mohammed Abunayyan was “yelling profanities and swinging his fist at the flight attendant, hitting or attempting to hit several passengers, and speaking or singing about Usama [Osama] bin Laden and his hatred of women,” according to court documents obtained by KGW.

He was charged Wednesday in federal court with interfering with the operation of the aircraft.

A cousin flying with him said Abunayyan suffers from schizophrenia. He was headed home to see his ill mother and had not taken his medication for several weeks, according to a report in the Medford Mail Tribune.

The cousin, Fahad Alsubaie, 21, told the paper he was escorted off the plane with Abunayyan. Alsubaie said the disruption began after a flight attendant confronted the two for sitting together, because Alsubaie was in the wrong seat.

"I was going to ride back with him, just to make sure he was safe. They didn't want us to sit together," said Alsubaie, a Saudi Arabian exchange student studying English at Southern Oregon University in Ashland.

Abunayyan was arrested Sunday in Ashland for DUI and several other charges after police said he hit two patrol cars and nearly ran over a pedestrian during a police chase, according to the Ashland Daily Tidings paper.

On the plane, witnesses said Abunayyan refused to turn off an electronic cigarette when asked by airline staff, according to Port of Portland spokesman Steve Johnson. Then, the pilot decided to return to PDX, where Abunayyan and his companion were escorted off the plane.

Cell phone video shared with KGW by a passenger on the flight showed the man getting escorted off the plane. Passengers said he disobeyed the flight crew and started yelling. Then, other passengers tackled him.

"Every guy who was in my area was ready to go. It was not even a thought. You could tell buckles were off. People were already leaning toward the aisles," one passenger recalled.

"It almost made me cry to see the way everybody responded. Because the gentlemen that could help got up and helped the stewardess. She was just a little bitty thing," another passenger explained.

Continental Airlines also issued this official statement: "Continental flight 1118, Portland to Houston, returned to Portland when a passenger refused to obey the 'No Smoking' sign. The flight landed safely, without incident at approximately 1:15 p.m. local and was met by local law enforcement. The passenger and traveling companion were taken off the plane. The flight resumed and departed Portland at approximately 2:05 p.m. local"

E-cigarettes, which heat a liquid nicotine solution, are not specifically prohibited by the Transportation Safety Administration, like tobacco cigarettes, but they are banned by Continental Airlines.

This story originally appeared on KGW.com, the NBC News affiliate in Portland, Ore. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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A China Eastern Airlines jet that left Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province landed in Wuhan in China's Hubei province with an extra passenger.

Feng Yu, 23, gave birth to a baby girl during the flight, according to a report on ShanghaiDaily.com.

The woman was aided by flight attendants who had training — but no experience — in delivering babies.

“I was frightened when the baby’s head came out but the body was still stuck,” flight attendant Zuo Lei told the Shanghai Daily. “I asked myself to calm down and firmly held the woman’s hand and tried hard to recall what I learned in emergency training.”

The flight crew unsuccessfully attempted to find a medical expert among the passengers on the Boeing 737. Flight attendants then set up an in-flight delivery room after clearing out the last two rows of seats, Zuo said.

Medical workers took Feng and her baby, later named “Angel,” to a nearby hospital when the plane landed.

“Both the mother and baby are in good condition,” a doctor told the paper.

Yu isn't the first pregnant woman to give birth during a flight. In September, Aida Alamillo gave birth to baby boy on a Philippine Airlines flight from Manillla to San Francisco.

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Flying over the holidays? If so, you might be wondering how you can get home without getting sick when you're surrounded by hacking and coughing passengers.

"There's a lot of germs you can get, if you don't take proper precautions," Dr. Keri Peterson, Women's Health contributor, told Carl Quintanilla on TODAY.

Research has shown how easily disease can spread. Tracing influenza transmission on long flights in 2009 with passengers infected with the H1N1 flu strain, Australian researchers found that when 2 percent of passengers had the disease during the flight, 5 percent of additional passengers came down with same strain of flu within a week after landing.

"If you're sitting within two rows of someone who has flu symptoms, you increase your likelihood of getting sick by 3.6 percent," Peterson said. "If you're within two seats of someone beside you, it doubles to 7.7 percent."

Before you even get on the plane, security checkpoints harbor a host of hazards. People get bunched up in lines, she said, where there is plenty of coughing and sneezing. Travelers remove their shoes and place them in plastic security bins — and with them the germs that they pick up on the ground. "You might as well just take the bottom of your shoe and wipe it on your clothing," Peterson said. 

The environment on a plane is also a factor. "At 30,000 feet, the air is very dry," Peterson said. "And viruses thrive in that environment." That air also dries out the lining of the nose and is more likely to make you dehydrated, which can make passengers more susceptible to catching a cold.

Some may wonder if re-circulated cabin air is to blame, but studies have shown that HEPA filters on most jets today can capture 99 percent of viruses and bacteria. "The issue is when the plane is idle, when passengers are coming in and exiting the plane, or if it is delayed on the tarmac — there is a very high incidence of germs spreading like wildfire," she said.

One way to protect yourself against germs is to get a flu shot. Peterson also recommends that travelers bring along a travel health kit with tissues, pain relievers, and an antibacterial hand cleaner to use in case soap and water aren't available.

Also, be sure to eat healthy and exercise, she said, both of which keep your immune system functioning at its best.

While on the plane, Peterson said, be sure to drink lots of water and use saline spray to keep nasal passages moist. Disinfecting wipes can be used to clean off tray tables, arm rests and television buttons. She also recommends that travelers avoid shared items such as pillows, blankets and magazines.

And that air vent?

"Don't blow it on your face," Peterson said. "Direct the air just in front of you. It directs the germs away from you instead of on you."

More on TODAY Travel

Traveling by plane this holiday season? Take a moment to tip your hat to the Wright brothers. On Dec. 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright became the first to fly with a pilot aboard a powered, heavier-than-air machine. 

Library of Congress

First flight, 120 feet in 12 seconds, 10:35 a.m.; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. (Click on the image for a larger version from the Library of Congress).

With Orville at the controls and Wilbur mid-stride, this image shows the Wright Flyer (barely) airborne over Kitty Hawk, N.C.. The flight lasted 12 seconds and spanned 120 feet. Wilbur and Orville Wright had invented the first successful airplane.

Should you happen to be in Washington DC, the Wright Flyer is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

The Wright Flyer, on display at the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

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AFP - Getty Images

Passengers are evacuated from a Cathay Pacific Boeing 747 aircraft which aborted its take-off from Shanghai Pudong airport after smoke was detected while the plane was taxiing for take-off, in Shanghai, China, on Dec. 9, 2011.

It seems that some people just cannot bear to part with their personal belongings, despite the safety instructions that airlines issue at the outset of every flight. 

The Associated Press reports from SHANGHAI:

City and airline officials say passengers were evacuated from a Cathay Pacific Airways plane set to fly from Shanghai to Hong Kong, after smoke was seen in the jet's cabin while it was taxiing for takeoff.

The city government said in a statement that a few passengers were slightly injured during the evacuation Friday at Pudong International Airport, but there were no serious injuries and other flights were not affected.

Cathay Pacific said 351 passengers and 19 crew were on board the Boeing 747-400 at the time of the incident. It said the source of the smoke was under investigation.

AFP - Getty Images

AFP - Getty Images

Diana Sugg

Oliver, 10 months, and Sam, 2, travelling through the airport in style.

We were the last ones to board the plane that clear January night, and I had a good feeling. My 10-month-old baby was fed and happy, and I’d been granted a last minute, unbelievable gift: the plane was full, so I – and my baby boy – had been bumped up to first class.

It was the year we’d become travel pros.  Because of my husband’s work in Switzerland, we’d already pulled off several long overseas trips with our baby and toddler. And we had it down to a science.

Every inch of my carry-on bag was strategically packed, with enough snacks and supplies to survive any delay or diaper blowout. I’d discovered special wheel carts that turned the boys’ car seats into ad-hoc strollers so we could roll them through the airports. And at security checkpoints, we knew the routine so well that we could unload and reload the boys, get everyone’s shoes on and off, and get through the scanners in record time.

No matter how prepared I might have been for traveling with small children, though, I was learning there were two things beyond my control: whether the boys would sleep, and the temperament of nearby passengers.

On this flight, as I sized up the seat that I would share with my baby, I noticed that the first-class cabin was full of men, all in suits, some already stretched out and looking forward to a long, quiet night above the ocean. We were on a red-eye flight from Washington D.C.’s Dulles airport to Zurich. The flight attendant bent near me and whispered, “Do you know who is sitting behind you?”

I looked back, and there, directly behind Oliver and me, was Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve.

It was January 2009, and the financial crisis was in full swing. Bernanke had a huge stack of work with him and impossibly difficult decisions to make. I, on the other hand, had a bag with 25 diapers, teething toys and a soft, cloth book with sailboats and anchors sewn in it. Oliver, 35 pounds of chubby baby, was drooling, rubbing his fingers over his teething gums. He was standing on my lap, pumping his legs up and down, as if readying to launch himself through the ceiling of the plane. Oliver was just tall enough to pop his big pumpkin head over the seat and smile at Bernanke.

Related content: Tips for taking a trip with toddlers

I found myself flashing back to past experiences with fellow passengers: the ones who played peek-a-boo with the kids, or the kind, older woman, who, after sitting through my 2-year-old son Sam’s crying, bent near me with a warm smile and said, “Oh honey, I understand. I have grandchildren.”

Other times, it didn’t go so well. On one flight, as I settled into my seat with Oliver, I found myself saying out loud, “Oh no, you made a pooh pooh.”

“Oh gawd,” moaned the man sitting next to me, clearly disgusted. He looked at Oliver and me as if we were another, more primitive species. I hugged Oliver and wished we could hide.

But this night, in first class, I thought, it had to be better. The cabin felt quiet, almost meditative. The flight attendants gave me warm nuts in a little ceramic bowl. The leather seat was huge. I reclined it and nursed Oliver, trying to get him to sleep. When that failed, I tried to create a little playpen for him in the back of the seat, with me positioned on the seat’s edge as a fence. He was not interested.

He kept trying to bust out to the aisle, where he crawled at top speeds past Bernanke, or he grabbed onto seats and toddled from row to row toward the economy section, where my husband and our 2-year-old son were in their seats. I scooped Oliver back in my lap and tried to settle him. But then he would reach for the window cover, pushing it up and down, or he’d investigate the buttons on the fancy control panel. When the food came, he yanked at the white cloth placemat, almost spilling the deluxe food and flatware.

Related content: TSA's new kid-friendly checkpoints

He never cried. He was just happy, curious, and very awake. And mostly, for some reason that night, Oliver wanted to climb on me so he could see Bernanke. I cringed, trying to pull him down. Oliver jabbered at Bernanke in baby talk. At one point, I think around 2 a.m., I heard Bernanke’s voice reply. He must have said something funny to Oliver, because they both laughed, like old colleagues sharing a joke.

It wasn’t until we began descending into Zurich the next morning that Oliver finally conked out. As we landed, the plane stopped before the gate, so Bernanke could get out. He stopped at my seat.

“Did you ever get any sleep last night?” he asked sympathetically.

“No,” I said, thinking it was a bigger deal for him, for interest rates, for the economy. “I’m really sorry about the noise. I know you need your sleep right now.”

Then, just before he was whisked off in a black sedan with a police escort, the chairman of the Federal Reserve looked back at me with a huge smile, and words that would earn him a place as one of my favorite passengers: “I didn’t hear a thing.”

Diana K. Sugg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has covered medicine, crime and other issues for newspapers around the country. She is now a freelance writer in Baltimore raising two young sons. 

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“How do you fly with two toddlers?”

That’s what Jessica White wants to know. She’s planning to travel soon with her two toddlers and wrote to Overhead Bin for advice.

“When I called Frontier Airlines,” said White, “they couldn't answer my questions about bringing aboard car seats and checking our large double stroller at the gate.”

We didn’t find anything to address gate-checking strollers under the Traveling with children section of the Frontier Airlines website, so we called the airline directly.

A cheery agent offered to make a note in a reservation record and assured us that White would be able to gate-check her stroller for free. “She could also check the stroller at the counter,” the agent told us, “but I suggest the mom take it to the gate so she doesn’t have to worry about chasing toddlers through the airport.”

The agent also took some time to run through the options for taking and using car seats on board the airplane. “Usually putting a car seat in the middle or aisle seat is not permitted,” she said. “But in this case, if both children have tickets for their own seats, the mom could put the seats side-by-side, in the window and middle seat, and take the aisle seat herself.”

Each airline has its own rules for gate-checking strollers, so it’s a good idea to call ahead or look on an airline’s website before traveling. And don’t assume that the rules you encountered last holiday season are still in force. This past June, for example, American Airlines announced it was changing its rules and only gate-checking collapsible or umbrella-style strollers under 20 pounds.

White also had a question about taking along drinks and snacks for her children.

“One child has severe food allergies and I want to bring aboard soy milk in sippy cups and snacks from home that are milk, peanut, tree nut & egg free. Will security let me through with these items?”

The TSA does not restrict non-liquid snacks taken through the checkpoint. Guidelines about baby formula, breast milk, juice and other liquids are posted in the Traveling with Kids page of the TSA's website.

“Parents traveling with children may pass through a security checkpoint with a reasonable amount of milk or baby formula in containers larger than 3.4 ounces after it is screened,” said TSA spokesperson Greg Soule. “We encourage parents carrying larger amounts of liquids for their children to declare the items to one of our officers in front of the checkpoint, so it can be screened properly.” 

Do you have a travel-related question? Send it to Overhead Bin.

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Find more by Harriet Baskas on Stuck at The Airport.com and follow her on Twitter.