Allegedly Drunk Man Allegedly Lighting Up In Plane Bathroom Prompts Emergency Landing

There’s the guy sitting next to you who allegedly has such bad breath you allegedly can’t breathe out of your nose, and then there are the more serious kind of claims. Allegations are flying over in Australia, after Qantas airlines says a(n allegedly) drunk passenger (allegedly) lit up a cigarette in an airplane bathroom on a flight from Sydney to Japan, prompting an emergency landing that cost the airline $120,000.

See, it’s super illegal to smoke in an airplane bathroom these days, and getting handsy with flight crew who confront a person over such an action will get you into even more trouble.

Officials say the 34-year-old man was tipsy on vodka he’d brought on board himself and unruly when he went to the loo and lit up, reports The Cairns Post in Australia.

When cabin crew tried to discuss this flouting of the airline’s rules, the man allegedly punched a cabin manager in the chest. He was reportedly restrained with “flexi-cuffs,” while still spitting in the eyes of the crew manager.

Pilots apparently had to dump fuel before they could land the plane with 350 passengers on board at Cairns International Airport, which opened up at 1:45 a.m. to accommodate the emergency landing. Police say that cost the airline around $120,000.

The allegations of drunkenness seem pretty apparent to the court, as the next morning he was still “too intoxicated” to go to the morning session of court and face four charges including lighting a cigarette on an aircraft, behaving in an offensive matter, assault and acts threatening the safety of persons in an aircraft.

Unruly passenger costs Qantas $120,000 with emergency landing [The Cairns Post]

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