Dallas: A passenger was put on the no-fly list by Qantas after he allegedly but a flight attendant on a flight from Melbourne to Dallas.
The flight was diverted after the incident, as reported by News18.
The incident occurred in QF21 flight, which left Mebourne at 2.30 pm on Friday to Dallas. It was diverted to Papeete in Tahiti seven hours later after the incident was reported.
The plane landed in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, wherein the passenger was issued a no-fly ban by Qantas, which includes any future Qantas and Jetstar flights. The plane was refueled and resumed its journey about 35 minutes later, as reported by The Guardian.
“The safety of our customers and our crew is our number one priority and we have zero tolerance for disruptive or threatening behaviour on our flights,” a Qantas spokesperson said in a statement.
Footage uploaded on social media by the comedian Mike Goldstein showed a man in a heated exchange with cabin crew, repeatedly abusing them. In the video, he appeared to be stumbling and slurring his words, telling a flight attendant he had wanted to “walk out for a ciggie”.
In response, the flight attendant said he was carrying on “like a two-bob watch,” the UK media outlet reported, adding that the footage did not show the alleged biting.
This is not first such incident reported in Australia. In April, a 45-year-old man was charged for alleged disorderly and aggressive behaviour that led to his mid-flight restraint while travelling from Canberra to Perth, which also included allegedly trying to bite the arm of another passenger, The Guardian reported.
