Florida Man Banned For Life On Spirit Airlines For Reportedly Vaping During Flight

TAMPA (CBSMiami/CNN) - A St. Petersberg man, accused of taking a smoke break in the bathroom on a Spirit flight from Detroit to New Orleans, has been banned from flying on the airline for life.

An attendant on Flight NK 985 said she saw him take a drag from an e-cigarette and exhale into a bag while he was sitting in his seat. When she admonished him, the 30-year old man got up and headed for the restroom, according to a report filed with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.

While he was in the bathroom, the plane's smoke alarm went off.

When a deputy met the plane at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, the man denied smoking in the restroom, according to the report. He also told a deputy he didn't know smoking was prohibited on flights.

The passenger was not arrested but he may never again fly with Spirit.

"It's a private business that can ban customers at their own leisure," said Jefferson Parish Sheriff's spokesman Capt. Jason Rivarde. "It's like telling you not to come back to the restaurant. Once he was on the ground, he was cooperative with our deputies so he didn't face any criminal charges."

Vaping apparently wasn't his only problem.

Another passenger complained to the flight attendant that he had been drinking from bottles of alcohol that he brought on board -- which is also prohibited, according to the sheriff's office.

(©2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company, contributed to this report.)

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