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Binge drinking, groping and viewing pornography are all surefire ways to get on your seatmate's bad side while flying.
Unfortunately for passengers aboard a recent Jetstar Airways flight from Japan to Australia's Gold Coast, one unruly passenger carried out all three acts prior to being arrested, according to passenger Nathan Patterson, who recounted the harrowing experience to News Corp.
The 29-year-old said that the man sitting next to his girlfriend touched her "in a sexual manner," pulled out a pornographic magazine and even masturbated inflight.
What's more, Patterson claims that the flight crew did nothing to stop it from happening.
"Clearly this was a distressing incident and we regret that one of our passengers was subjected to the deplorable behaviour of another passenger on-board," said a spokesperson for the low-cost carrier in a statement. "We've apologized to the passenger affected for our delay in communicating with them as we conducted an internal investigation."
Patterson noted that the nightmarish experience began when the man allegedly invaded his girlfriend's personal space.
"My girlfriend, who was sitting next to me, notified me that the gentleman (next to her) felt her twice down the right side of her body from her shoulder down past her buttocks and thigh," said Patterson. "I asked the passenger if he touched my girlfriend and he automatically started to apologize."
Patterson said it was then that he noticed the man reeked of alcohol and "detected that he had about six bottles of clear liquid."
Despite notifying the crew about the inappropriate behavior, the disturbance continued when the man allegedly began viewing pornographic material and masturbating in his seat.
"I was very concerned and felt uncomfortable with what he was viewing and the actions he was displaying as a group of young Japanese girls were seated in the row behind and beside us," said Patterson.
Patterson and his girlfriend reported the man to authorities upon landing, and he was arrested and charged with lewd conduct.
Jetstar has since acknowledged that it assisted police in the matter and that the man would be banned from flying with Jetstar or any other Qantas Group carrier again.
However, that hardly atones for the staff's inaction in Patterson's eyes.
"My partner and I really felt very uncomfortable during the whole situation and feel disappointed that the staff seemed not to take the whole situation seriously...We must not have been important enough."
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