Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 17
Qantas Bans Passenger After QF21 Diverts 7 Hours Into Melbourne-Dallas Flight
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 17

Qantas Bans Passenger After QF21 Diverts 7 Hours Into Melbourne-Dallas Flight

7 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 17
  • Qantas barred a passenger from all future Qantas and Jetstar flights after he allegedly bit a flight attendant on QF21, forcing the Melbourne-to-Dallas service to divert to Papeete in Tahiti.
  • Seven hours after departing Melbourne at 2:30 p.m. Friday, the long-haul flight landed in French Polynesia, where authorities met the aircraft; passengers and crew had helped the attendant during the alleged assault.
  • Social media footage showed a man swearing at cabin crew, refusing instructions to move to the back of the plane, and appearing to stumble and slur his words, though the alleged biting was not captured.
  • About 35 minutes after refuelling in Papeete, the aircraft resumed its trip and arrived in Dallas on Saturday morning as Qantas reiterated a zero-tolerance stance on threatening or disruptive behaviour.
  • The incident adds to a run of Australian in-flight disturbances, including an April case in which a 45-year-old man was charged after allegedly trying to bite another passenger during a Canberra-Perth flight.
A New Zealander bites a crew member over the Pacific. Who gets to prosecute him?
Is 'air rage' truly on the rise, or are shrinking seats pushing passengers over the edge?
With a lifetime ban and arrest, what happens when this passenger's plane finally lands in the US?