Man ‘drunkenly bites cabin crew’ in mid-air chaos as he is booted off plane
The plane was heading to Dallas from Australia and had to make a stop in Tahiti after the passenger allegedly attacked the staff member mid flight
The man was filmed by other passengers(Image: Mike Goldstein/instagram)
A flight had to divert, making an emergency landing, after a passenger allegedly bit a member of the flight crew while thousands of feet in the air. The plane was heading to Dallas from Australia but had to make a stop in Tahiti.
The alleged incident happened aboard the flight number QF21. The plane left Melbourne for the US on an 18-hour journey before chaos ensued around three quarters of the way into the flight.
Both crew members and passengers are said to have stepped in to help the flight attendant following the alleged attack which happened while the plane was airborne. Footage of the passenger, which was uploaded to social media by comedian Mike Goldstein, shows the man stumbling out of the toilet still doing his belt up.
Asking by a flight attendant if he had smoked weed, the passenger carries on swearing at staff and passengers. “We need you to behave yourself,” the Qantas worker says.
“Bro, I was just about to walk out for a cigarette,” the passenger can be heard saying. “Put that wrist lock off (sic) me again, there’s problems.”
The person who recorded the footage claimed in the clip that the passenger was drunk.
The aircraft was redirected to Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, where local police boarded the plane and escorted the passenger off.
The Tahitian police are seen coming on board, and the camera turns down the aisle, showing the man face down on the floor being restrained.
He was arrested and kept in the country to face charges there. Qantas has confirmed the man has now been banned from travelling with the airline.
A spokesperson for the carrier said: “We have zero tolerance for disruptive or threatening behaviour on our flights.”
Following refuelling in Tahiti, the aircraft continued its journey to Dallas but touched down several hours late. It remains unclear what triggered the alleged confrontation onboard.
