Importance Score: 55 / 100 🔵
A furious brawl erupted mid-air as two passengers clashed over the use of a reclining chair. Footage circulating online shows two men in a heated argument that turned violent on a flight from Melbourne to Bali.
Captured on camera, one man can be seen yelling behind him: “Do you think this is enough. Do you think one of us is going to f***ing die? Drunk piece of s***.” In response, a man in a cap launched himself over the seats as the confrontation turned violent.
Thankfully for both the men involved and other passengers, a man seated nearby grabbed one of the men as the altercation broke out. Cabin Crew were then seen intervening with one member of staff shouting: “Boys, that’s enough”.
Other passengers were audibly distressed by the confrontation, with some shouting “no” and others gasping in disbelief at what was unfolding.
A Jetstar Airways spokesperson said: “Our operations teams are currently investigating this incident. We have a zero tolerance policy for disruptive and abusive behaviour on our flights.
“Our crew members are trained to de-escalate incidents involving unruly passengers and we thank them for how they managed this situation.”
The incident is the latest in a spate of mid-air disruptions with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency noting that the number and severity of flight disruptions has increased since 2020.
Additionally, data provided by the International Air Transport Association estimates that one disruptive incident occurred for every 480 flights worldwide in 2023, an increase from one in 568 flights in 2022.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has publicly called for the amount of alcoholic drinks passengers can consume in departure lounges to be curbed in order to reduce the growing number of incidents.
Earlier this year, the company initiated legal action against a passenger after their behaviour forced a flight to be diverted to Porto overnight.
The airline sought to reclaim £12,500 in costs after it was forced to pay additional landing and handling fees and accommodate passengers overnight in a hotel.
The Irish airline’s boss, Michael O’Leary told Sky News: “If passengers continue disrupting our flights, we will sue you for the cost of those diversions and those disruptions. We’re having two or three of these diversions a week.”