Southwest Air worker hospitalized after she is punched by passenger

A Southwest Airlines Co. employee in Texas was taken to a hospital after being punched in the head by a passenger boarding a flight to New York.

Dallas police arrested Arielle Jean Jackson, 32, at Dallas Love Field and charged her with aggravated assault in the Saturday incident, a police spokesman said Sunday. The Southwest operations agent was released and was home resting Sunday, an airline spokesman said.

After boarding the flight to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Jackson had a verbal confrontation with a Southwest employee and was asked to leave the aircraft, according to the police statement. As she was leaving the woman had another “verbal altercation that turned physical” with the operations agent before she struck that woman with a closed fist, police said.

The employee was taken to a Dallas hospital in stable condition. Police declined to reveal Jackson’s home city.

The Federal Aviation Administration has reported a surge this year in incidents of unruly passengers, documenting 5,100 cases as of Nov. 9, with 239 enforcement cases filed.

“Our entire Southwest Family is wishing her a speedy and full recovery as we send our thoughts, prayers, and love to her,” airline spokesman Chris Mainz said in an email. “Southwest Airlines maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding any type of harassment or assault and fully support our Employee as we cooperate with local authorities regarding this unacceptable incident.”