Meriden man forced off plane in Jamaica

Meriden, Conn. (WTNH) - Steven Martorelli knows all too well that when you got to go, you got to go.

Martorelli and his girlfriend were about to fly back from Jamaica on Spirit Airlines. They were stuck on the plane for more than an hour because of a runway problem. Then the plane had to taxi back to the airport to refuel.

That's when nature called.

So, Martorelli headed to the restroom, but was asked to take his seat by a stewardess.

"I told her that i had to go to the bathroom pretty bad and she just looked at me for a minute and she didn't really know what to say and she just said, 'OK, whatever,'" Martorelli said.

It's what happened after he got back to his seat that's got Steven steamed. He says he was approached by the same stewardess, now asking for ID.

"So, I said 'May I ask what you need my driver's license for,' and she said, 'I'd like to file a report against you to the FAA,'" Martorelli said.

Martorelli was being cited for standing while the aircraft was in motion.

"She actually came about this close to my face and she said 'Listen sir, you don't have any rights on this plane. You can either come and talk to me off the plane or I can call the police and have them take you off the plane,'" Martorelli said. "People who were surrounding us, some of them were just laughing because they couldn't actually believe that this was happening."

Martorelli was removed from the plane, confronted at the gate by the captain, security and police, and told he couldn't fly back that night.

"The captain tells me that you're standing up and you disobeyed a rule on the planem," Martorelli said. "He said everything's a learning experience and today you're going to learn a lesson. You're staying in Jamaica."

Martorelli and his girlfriend had to spend the night in Jamaica and fly back the next day at their own expense on a different airline, Air Jamaica.

He now wants the airline to pay his extra travel expenses, but especially wants others to know how he was treated with disrespect.

"I want people to think again before flying on Spirit Air," Martorelli said. "Maybe you're going to save $10-$20 on a ticket, but you're not going to really be treated with respect."

Steven Martorelli says Spirit Airlines did partially refund him for his ticket. The airline tells News 8 that they are looking into the situation and will issue a statement.

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*Update*

News 8 receieved this statement from Spirit Airlines on Thursday August 19th:

"Our flight attendants take great care to ensure the safety of our customers which is the top priority for Spirit Airlines. After repeatedly refusing to follow important flight attendant safety instructions, Mr. Martorelli was asked to step off the aircraft in order to resolve the situation. He had repeatedly gotten out of his seat after passengers were instructed to be seated with seat belts fastened. Interfering with a flight crew is in violation of federal law."