Couple Robs Plane, Uses “It Was Just a Prank” Defense

Every Friday, FlyerTalk looks back at the week’s most charming individuals. While there are always plenty of contenders for our Worst Passenger of the Week award, only one lucky flyer can take home the glory.

The Runner-up — The Irate Man Tied-up for the Long-Haul

Flight crews have increasingly been making the decision to avoid diverting flights because of problem passengers. In cases where out-of-control passengers are adequately subdued, captains are becoming more and more willing to continue on to the final destination. In these situations, innocent passengers are less inconvenienced by the actions of one bad actor and everyone else arrives on time, but for the worst of the worst passengers, this trend can lead to a very long and uncomfortable flight.

One man learned just how unpleasant flying the friendly skies can be this week on a United Airlines Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)-bound flight. The aggressive passenger found himself zip-tied to a seat after an onboard Federal Air Marshal intervened in a confrontation between the irate passenger and a member of the cabin crew. The pilot decided that because the agitated passenger no longer posed a threat, there was no reason to cause a delay by diverting to another airport and because Boeing 777-200 aircraft are not equipped with a brig, the man remained lashed to his seat to think about his poor behavior for the remainder of the 11-hour flight.

A small consolation was that the out-of-control flyer was the first to deplane when the flight landed at EWR — albeit in police custody.

The Winners — The Couple Who Used the “It Was Just a Prank, Dude” Defense

Thanks to countless YouTube videos, it seems saying the words “it was just a prank” is a viable excuse for any number of obnoxious activities, but now that excuse has officially become a viable defense in a court of law — even if that “prank” nearly cost an airline more than $30,000. A couple charged with stealing the key to the emergency exit of an Air Moldova aircraft escaped charges after making a charitable donation and explaining to a Dublin District Court Judge that alcohol was a factor in the poorly thought out prank.

Larysa Markuslevska, age 41 and 29-year-old Anatolie Ilvitki, both of Moldova, pled guilty to stealing the key, which was discovered after a search by police, but avoided a criminal conviction when the judge dismissed the charges after the couple apologized and agreed to make donations of just over $250 a piece to a a Motor Neuron disease charitable foundation.

It seems the defendants’ altered state and that fact that the pranksters professed to only a “vague recollection” of the stunt helped convince the judge to dismiss the charges. “It would have been a very serious matter but I accept what you are saying about the condition they may have been in,” Judge Grainne O’Neill told the defendants’ lawyer.

While the value of the emergency exit key had a value of a little more than $50, prosecutors explained that had the key not been recovered, the Air Moldova plane would have been effectively grounded costing the airline tens of thousands of dollars.

Updated 6:00 a.m. PT, 09/08/15 — This column has been updated to reflect that “The Irate Man” was tied to his seat aboard a Boeing 777-200, not a 727-200.