Air Tran Flight 39 had 55 Spartanburg, SC Students Aboard

Over 24 hours after Air Tran Flight 39 was diverted to Colorado Springs for an emergency landing, we learn that 55 Spartanburg, SC high school students were aboard, but we still do not know the name of the "drunk and unruly passenger" who locked himself into a toilet. The event warranted the escort of two NORAD F-16 fighter jets. Update 1-9-10: I have identified the "drunk and unruly" passenger as Muhammad Abu Tahir. Read that story here. Another thought is former CIA, Michael Schueur's warning that an event, just like this one, may be used to "clog" the intelligence pipeline. See links to that discussion below.

Who is this person? How was the passenger unruly?

During the flight, a male passenger, allegedly intoxicated, became disruptive and irate with a flight attendant. The passenger refused to follow flight crew instructions to take his seat and then proceeded to lock himself in the aft lavatory. The male passenger was traveling from Richmond, Virginia, to San Francisco, Calif., with a connection in Atlanta, Ga.

A full day later, this doesn't tell us much. Was the incident something that might be construed as terrorism. Do F-16's regularly escort drunks? Updates as available.

Clogging the Intelligence Pipeline

Is this what America is facing? Will there be lawsuits filed against numerous airlines for taking disruptive Muslims off of flights? As Larwyn (with some of my thoughts woven in) says: "Pregnant/and/or/Pious Females in Burkas...Religious Conferences couched as vacations, transgendered Arabs looking for a way to 72 virgins through their underpants...is this the new normal?

Other recent airline events:

Muhammad Abu Tahir disrespected on AirTran Flight 39

Muhammad Abu Tahir is AirTran Flight 39 Passenger Threw Shoes 

Mansor Mohammad Asad - Removed from Delta Flight: Son blames in on passengers.

AirTran Flight 297 - Muslim Men Disrupt - Disturbing Ride for Passengers lawsuit alert

AirTran Flight 175 Muslim Family Removed - lawsuit alert