“She Was One of the Most Disruptive Passengers We’ve Ever Flown”

Castle Donington, UK - June 3, 2016: a Boeing 737-330QC (G-CELR) commercial passenger aircraft operated by Jet2 about to land at East Midlands Airport near Nottingham, England.

Back in June, a drunk Jet2 passenger was restrained by crew and her fellow travelers after she attempted to enter the cockpit of a Turkey-bound flight from London Stansted Airport. The plane had to be diverted back to the airport and the woman has pleaded guilty to charges relating to the incident.

Back in June 22^nd, a drunken Jet2 passenger attempted to enter the cockpit of a Turkey-bound flight from London Stansted Airport (STN). The incident involved passenger Chloe Haines, who also attempted to open the doors of the craft, which was heading to the Turkish resort city of Dalaman.

Haines Restrained, Jets Scrambled, Flight Diverted

As the Evening Standard reported this summer, the intoxicated Haines had to be restrained by crew and passengers. Two Typhoon jets – British military craft which emitted a sonic boom as they were scrambled – were also called upon to escort the flight as it returned to London Stansted Airport (STN).

At the time of the incident, a spokesperson for Jet2 told the Evening Standard, “Our cabin crew are trained to deal with disruptive passenger behavior, and although incidents such as this are very rare, it is completely unreasonable to expect them to have to deal with physically aggressive or violent passengers.”

Haines Was Arrested, Charged and Fined

Haines was arrested by police immediately upon landing to face criminal charges, including suspicion of assault, criminal damage and endangerment of an aircraft.

Six months on from the incident, the outlet reports that Haines on Monday admitted to endangering the safety of a craft and to assaulting Charley Coombe, a member of flight crew. However, Haines has denied being drunk while on the craft.

Confusingly, the outlet reports that, according to Oliver Saxby, Haines’s legal counsel, “…there was “no question that she was drunk” but that the charge of endangering the safety of an aircraft was the “more serious alternative”.”

Haines has now been bailed and will return to court in the New Year to be sentenced.

In addition to facing arrest, legal charges and a courtroom hearing, Jet2 leveled Haines with a considerable £85,000 ($109,951) fine as a result of her aggressive behavior.

Jet2’s Response to the Incident

Speaking out after the incident earlier this summer, Steve Heapy, the CEO of the airline, told the outlet, “Miss Haines’ behavior was one of the most serious cases of disruptive passenger behavior that we have experienced. She must now face up to the consequences of her actions, and we will vigorously pursue to recover the costs that we incurred as a result of this divert, as we do with all disruptive passengers.”

“As a family friendly airline, we take an absolutely zero tolerance approach to disruptive behavior, and we hope that this sobering incident, with its very serious consequences, provides a stark warning to others who think that they can behave in this fashion,” he added.