A Qantas
flight headed from Australia
to Texas took an unexpected detour over the weekend after a reportedly
intoxicated passenger allegedly bit a crew member mid-flight, forcing the
aircraft to divert to Tahiti.
The incident took
place aboard Qantas flight QF21, which departed Melbourne for Dallas on Friday,
according to the California
Post. The in-flight disruption amid the ultra-long-haul trip appears to
have occurred with roughly 11 hours remaining on the flight.
A video shared to
social media by comedian Mike Goldstein records part of the chaotic scene. In
the footage, a man is seen stumbling out of an airplane lavatory, arguing with
several cabin crew members and swearing at everyone in the vicinity.
Early on, a
flight attendant tells the passenger, “You have to behave yourself; you’re on a
plane.” The inebriated man asks the flight attendant if he’s smoking weed
before beginning to cuss at various other cabin crew members and declaring, “Bro,
I was just about to walk off for a ciggie.”
At that point,
the flight attendant warns the unnamed troublemaker that if he doesn’t behave
himself, he may need to be restrained. “Once you’re restrained, you’re restrained
for the whole trip,” he tells the man. “You’ve had your last chance,” he cautions.
After the flight
was forced to divert to the Tahitian capital of Papeete, the video cuts to the
caption “plane lands in Tahiti,” at which point footage shows local police
walking on board before panning down the cabin aisle to show the man being
restrained on the floor.
The alleged
biting incident itself was not captured on video.
In a statement,
Qantas told The
Sydney Morning Herald that the airline’s first priority is the safety of
its customers and crew members. “We have zero tolerance for disruptive or
threatening behavior on our flights,” they said.
After refueling,
the flight continued to Dallas, arriving several hours behind schedule.
The passenger
involved has reportedly been banned from flying with Qantas for life.
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