7 ways to get thrown off a flight

7 ways to get thrown off a flight

SINGAPORE - A Chinese couple and their friends were booted from an AirAsia flight after one of them threw hot water on a stewardess.

The woman, who was travelling with her boyfriend on the Bangkok-Nanjing flight last Thursday, was unhappy that they were made to sit apart. After swopping seats with other passengers so they could sit together, they continued to complain. The woman then ordered a cup noodle, and threw the hot water at a stewardess.

Witnesses said the man threatened to blow up the plane, and the woman told other passengers she wanted to commit suicide, the Nanfang Insider blog reported. The plane turned back, and the couple and two of their friends were asked to get off.

They are not the first to be evicted from a plane. We look at other passengers who were given the boot for reasons ranging from the outrageous to the bizarre:

1. Smuggle a really big pet onboard

In this case, a passenger was thrown off the plane for literally hogging space.

A woman and her pet pig were evicted from a US Airways flight in Connecticut because other passengers complained, the New York Post reported on Nov 28.

What looked like a "a dark-coloured duffle bag" draped over her shoulder turned out to be a 30kg pot-bellied pig.

Other passengers complained that the pig took up too much room, and was stinking up the plane. The woman had brought the curly-tailed pet aboard as an "emotional support animal", the airline said.

2. Get really drunk, and threaten to kill people

Briton Mohammed Khelya drank from a bottle of duty-free vodka, and quarrelled with his wife - while they were flying to Cuba for their honeymoon on a Thomas Cook flight, the Daily Mail reported on Nov 25.

Hours into the flight, his wife changed seats to get away from him.

When a crew member turned down his request to see her, the 22-year-old threatened to kill the cabin crew and passengers.

When they handcuffed him, he spat at other passengers. He was so disruptive that the flight was diverted to Bermuda and police escorted him off the plane- while his wife continued on to Cuba without him.

It is not known if Khelya is still married, but he was fined for his unruly behaviour.

3. Fight over legroom

On a United Airlines flight from Newark to Denver in August, James Beach attached a device called a "knee defender" to his seat, preventing the woman in front from reclining.

He refused to remove it when asked, and the argument got so heated, the woman threw a cup of water at him. The flight was diverted to Chicago, and both passengers removed.

Beach, who is 1.85m tall, told the Chicago Tribune he "felt terrible" about the incident, but will continue using his knee defender.

At least two other incidents where passengers were fighting over leg room were later reported.

4. Or throw a leg

A woman caused a flight from Tunisia to Edinburgh to be diverted to London after she slapped a passenger and attacked a flight attendant with her prosthetic leg.

The woman, 48, was drunk and asked for "cigarettes and a parachute", passengers said. She got angry when the crew asked her to pipe down.

She slapped a young girl in a neighbouring seat, before unfastening her leg and swinging it at a stewardess. The crew had to handcuff her, the Edinburgh Mail reported on July 31.

5. Smelling strange

He was told to "take a shower", and thrown off an American Airlines flight because of the way he smelled, Algerian-born Mehdi told Agence France-Presse in August.

The Frenchman said he had sprayed himself with Dior perfume at the duty-free shop before he boarded. The airline said the 27-year-old man had visa issues.

6. Mistaking the cockpit for the loo

Australian Matt Christopher Lockley sparked a hijack scare on his Virgin Australia flight in April when he banged on the cockpit door demanding to be let in.

The plumber, 28, was flying from Brisbane to Bali to look for his Indonesian wife, who had left him. According to Lockley, he was having a panic attack but had ingested only coca-cola, and painkillers.

His behaviour caused the crew to go into a panic and the pilot sent a distress signal to Indonesia's airport authorities. Indonesian troops boarded the flight at Bali airport and arrested Mr Lockley, BBC said.

He went on trial but was found not guilty of interfering with crew, Australian reports said.

7. Addicted to mobile games

In an infamous incident in 2011, actor Alec Baldwin was booted from an American Airlines flight after he refused to stop playing "Words with Friends".

"Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt," tweeted the 30 Rock actor, while waiting at Los Angeles airport.

According to American Airlines, he "stood up (with the seat belt light still on for departure) and took his phone into the plane's lavatory". Baldwin also verbally abused the crew, and was removed from the plane.

chuimin@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on Dec 14, 2014.
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