It’s common for a few passengers to have had one too many when traveling by plane. However, for one passenger on a Virgin Australia flight from Townsville to Sydney recently, his decision to have one too many had severe consequences.
The passenger was caught on camera swearing and grabbing the pilot by his shirt during a physical altercation at the front of the plane. The incident occurred in full view of business class and outside the cockpit while the aircraft was stationary at Townsville Airport.
In the video, the pilot told the man to “walk,” or they’d “get someone,” but the man continued to escalate the situation further before the pilot had enough and said, “you’re off, mate.”
“You’re a f—ing idiot,” the man stated. “I didn’t do nothing c—.”
The video of the confrontation was posted online by passenger Ben Mckay, who claimed the man had “one too many.” However, the video praised the crew for how they handled the situation.
One flight attendant said, “even though we’re trained for this, it’s still awful to deal with.”
Another person said, “Damn crew did amazing. They shouldn’t have to deal with this … but damn that female flight attendant was fiercely awesome.”
Virgin Australia stated that the passenger was removed from the flight for his behavior. Police were called to the airport, and travel restrictions were forced on the man.
“The safety of guests and crew is our number one priority, and we have zero tolerance for any type of unruly behavior on Virgin Australia flights,” a company spokeswoman said.
The Australian Federal Police launched Operation Sleigh prior to the Christmas holiday, which involved increased patrols during the holiday season at the nine airports in hopes of targeting intoxication and offensive and disruptive behavior.
@_benmckay One too many mate???? #virginaustralia ♬ original sound – Ben McKay
