Jet2 Bans Disruptive Passenger for Life After Inflight Incident

Jet2 airlines has banned a passenger for life following a violent incident on a flight from Glasgow to Tenerife on 12 June 2024.

The man, who has been identified as a 19-year old from Motherwell, is alleged to have become disruptive and aggressive shortly after takeoff.

The passenger will face court, accused of “engaging in behaviour of a threatening, abusive or insulting nature whether by word or gesture with intent to cause of breach of the peace.”

The flight had departed Glasgow at 3.30pm on Wednesday. It was then forced to divert to Shannon airport around 5.30pm following the inflight incident.

Disruptive Behavior Leads to Diversion

According to Jet2, the passenger’s behavior escalated quickly, culminating in a physical attack on cabin crew and other passengers.

The seriousness of the incident necessitated the diversion of the flight to Shannon Airport in Ireland, where Garda officers met the plane and apprehended the man.

Jet2 has strongly condemned the passenger’s actions, describing them as “appalling and violent.” In a statement, the airline’s managing director, Phil Ward, apologised to all those on board for the ordeal they endured.

He further stated that such behavior towards hardworking staff and fellow passengers is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

A statement was issued by the national police force Garda following the incident. “Gardaí attached to Shannon Airport arrested a man, aged in his 20s [sic] following an incident on board an aircraft that diverted to Shannon Airport. This occurred earlier this evening Wednesday 12th June, 2024 at approximately 5.30pm.”

“Gardaí met the aircraft and arrested the man under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.”

Lifetime Bans and Potential Repercussions

The passenger in question has been banned for life from flying with Jet2. Furthermore, the airline has indicated their intention to pursue the passenger for the costs incurred due to the diversion.

This in itself could amount to a significant sum. Comments for the carrier suggest the man will be pursued with a “five figure bill” as cost recovery for the forced diversion.

This is not the first time the leisure airline operator has imposed a lifetime ban for disruptive behaviour.

Previous Incident in April 2023

In April 2023, Jet2 acted to ban a passenger whose inflight behaviour resulted in a flight having to divert.

In last year’s case, a 55-year old man from Beith was also banned for life. This occurred after what the airline described as “a catalogue of disgraceful behaviour on the Glasgow to Tenerife flight.”

Flight crew had to divert to Faro Airport so that police could offload him.

In the April 2023 incident, the man behaved aggressively onboard, as well as illicitly consuming alcohol that he had purchased in the airport. He also behaved in an intimidating fashion towards crew and other customers onboard, including children.  

After the man was offloaded, customers had to disembark the aircraft in Faro so that the aircraft could be cleaned before departing to Tenerife.

Summary

This incident highlights Jet2’s commitment to passenger and crew safety. By taking a zero-tolerance stance against disruptive behavior, Jet2 sends a clear message that such actions will have serious consequences.

A general rise in unruly inflight behaviour instances have been evidenced globally. This has led to many airlines and aviation regulators adopting a ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy to such incidents.

In the US, whilst such incidents have seen a decline since 2021, the FAA noted that incidents are on the rise. The spike has come amid the busy summer peak travel season.

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