Jetstar Boots Gaelic Football Teams Over Alcohol Policy

Sports teams traveling Down Under for a large Gaelic sports competition learned a hard lesson about running afoul of the “strict rules on alcohol use” onboard Australian airlines.

It was a big weekend in Melbourne, Australia for fans of Gaelic Rules Football and Hurling competitions. For 16 of the athletes involved, however, victory celebrations took an unfortunate turn at the airport on the way home. Australian Federal Police (AFP) were called to remove several allegedly “drunken and disruptive” players from a Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (MEL) to Sydney Airport (SYD) bound Jetstar flight. Police say that although the players and a few additional members of their entourage were removed from the flight, no charges have been filed.

“We take safety and security seriously and have strict rules on alcohol use, including the right to deny boarding or offload intoxicated passengers,” a Jetstar spokesperson told the Daily Mail. “We don’t tolerate disruptive behavior by passengers on our flights, so our crew made a decision with the captain that a number of passengers would not travel on one of our Melbourne to Sydney services overnight. Unfortunately the actions of this group interrupted the travel plans of other customers.”

Although according to local media reports, the players involved were all members of Sydney-based clubs, officials seemed to view the incident as a threat from abroad. Police even offered a helpful admonishment for overseas visitors.

“This is a timely reminder for the public to remember that when traveling on an aircraft within Australia, you are bound by Australian laws,” an AFP spokesperson told reporters. “Unacceptable or inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.”

[Photo: Mick Tsikas / REUTERS file]