A mum on board a Jetstar plane that was forced to turn around mid-flight due to a disruptive passenger ‘harassing’ and threatening distraught staff has spoken out about the terrifying ordeal.
Jetstar flight JQ964 from Brisbane to Perth returned to the Queensland capital about 11.30pm on Tuesday night, two-and-a-half-hours after it departed.
A passenger who was on board with her two young children said the flight was turned back due to ‘some full freak-out moments’.
She claimed an unruly passenger was ‘harassing some of the women’ before he was moved the back of the plane.
‘An air hostess mentioned that he had been threatening … we don’t know exactly what he was saying, but the air hostess was speaking to a passenger in front of us and she was quite distressed and upset,’ she told The West Australian.
The passenger spoke to other travellers on board, who claimed they saw the man follow a young flight attendant down the aisle and giving ‘evil eyes’ to seated passengers.
‘I tried not to look back to see what was happening, but the air hostess did come past at one stage … and she looked pretty teary and upset, meanwhile, the guy was literally standing behind her,’ she added.
A disruptive passenger on a Jetstar flight travelling from Brisbane to Perth forced the flight to turn back
Passengers bound for Perth spent another night in Brisbane after their Jetstar flight turned around
The passenger felt sorry for the air hostess because she was young and ‘he was trailing her the whole way’.
She also claimed the man was drunk and smelled of alcohol.
‘Another passenger also got into an altercation with him and was trying to settle him down but he wasn’t listening to him either,’ she said.
Less than three hours into the flight, crew ‘discreetly’ informed passengers they needed to prepare for landing.
The woman said no-one knew they would be landing in back in Brisbane.
The man was escorted from the plane by police when it landed back in Brisbane, where he was issued with a no-fly ban.
It’s unknown whether the man faced any further action.
A Jetstar spokesman thanked passengers of their ‘understanding’ and said the number one priority for the airline is safety
Passengers were transported to a hotel for the night and put on a ‘rescue’ flight the next morning.
‘We really appreciate customers’ understanding and patience while our crew managed the situation in the air, and once back in Brisbane, worked to get them on their way again,’ a Jetstar spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We will never tolerate disruptive behaviour on our aircraft as safety is our number one priority.’
Daily Mail Australia contacted Australian Federal Police for further comment.
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