weero

Only for very grave offenses such as vandalism, rape or sexual coercion. Not for playing idiot on a plane - it really take a lot to upset the Singaporean authorities, they are much nicer than Western media tries to make them look.

Doc Savage

That's too bad. In this case, the caning and accompanying public humiliation would be very good punishment for this git.

weero

They wouldn't cane him in public anyway .

And I think that the legal matter here would actually be too complex for a clear cut corporal punishment. Especially if the reports that the crew used excessive force are corroborated, then everyone will be happy that matter was resolved quickly and quietly.

aster

If this guy got caned he would not be able to fly for weeks or months. At least not in the seated position.

aster

I'm certain you would be muuuuuuch more tolerant of the kids around you though. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

I fail to grasp the comparison between a kid who can't sit on his behind to a drunken idiot threatening passengers and crew and trying to open the emergency exit in-flight.

In terms of service nothing beats SQ and we both know that. On a night flight to SYD I have seen a FA ask two gentlemen who were talking rather loudly (nobody would have noticed on a day flight) if they could tone their voices down a bit so that others could sleep. Kind of disproves your theory of anything goes on SQ... so maybe your experience on SQ can be compared to mine on LH?

Odd to hear about a couple whistling and singing at night on your LH flight. What were they doing, karaoke? Or was it the result of too much fermented grape juice?

As for entertainment in SIN and ZRH/GVA, you couldn't find a greater contrast. One is a vibrant, international city with loads of stuff going on all the time, day or night, the other a very quiet place where even finding a few good bars can be an issue. Mind you this was like 10+ years ago so maybe things have changed and people actually go out at night. I do think CH is a great place in winter though, loved Saas-Fee.

ONLY_no_One

A bit OT.

They still however put death penalty for anyone even in transit who is caught with narcotics in their possession. And for such a person, they make it a point to ensure not even handshakes can be made between family members. That case happened a few years back involving coincidentally an aussie.

So no, they can be cruel when they want to and they make use of such opportunities to demonstrate to people that they know who's the boss.

As for this oz lad incident, it should be noted that its not the first time such flight disturbances have been reported in the media about SQ.

If its once or twice, you would think yeah, blame the passenger. Its the passenger's fault always. But its now a repeated incident.

And no attempts have been made to do PR damage control.

I'm not sure what to even think.

aster

Oh my, so whose fault is it... SIA's?

Drunken idiot boards plane, goes berserk... and the lunatic in question is the innocent guy here who's being persecuted?

Come on, April 1st is a fortnight away... save this stuff for later.

weero

I am already much more tolerant to kids than I was 10 years ago . But that is besides the point, I don't want to reprimand the kids, I want the parents to be told off. Very different issue.
So do I. But I see a strong link between an incapable couple who stir their kids and make them nervous and are loud themselves and a noisy drinker.

Attacking other pax is yet another level, even I would agree on that. The exit door thing doesn't bother me though. As they are neither armed nor can they be opened at altitude. So I am always prone to believe that it is used as a generic accusation to outline how vicious the perpetrator was.
Well I prefer NH, JL, and OZ service wise. And I do not value robotic service limited to 'the book' as much as you do. But we both know that.
Sure. Well possible.
No. They tried to entertain their infant heir.
I don't think it changed much .. I am there all the time. It hence is a cultural difference: in a place where there's a lake and a mountain, two real rivers, and several valleys .. I'd never go to a bar for entertainment. So in my years in ZRH, I have never been to one, only much later for a FlyerTalk DO and a Lufthansa dinner .

time2go1st

What an entertaining thread! Especially given how animated the video is -- rivals the recent AA mistake fare thread for pure entertainment value -- although that one for different reasons, obviously.

Two quick points though:
1. Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see anything in the original story about drug use -- so what is the point of bringing it up? Drunk is drunk and obviously bad enough in mid-flight; but anything further seems like just idle speculation at this point.
2. Assuming there are charges to be brought against this individual, where could they be brought? Unless the actual offenses alleged took place in SIN airspace, do the authorities there have jurisdiction at all? Interesting legal question, and I do NOT know the answer; if there were any actual property damage or personal injury inflicted on others, would the answer be different? Would the proper venue be India or Maylasia or whatever country's airspace was impacted, or still SIN as the point of debarkation or where the property (the metal etc.) is domiciled? And what if the offense takes place over open seas in nobody's territory? Now THAT is discussion that can make this thread last for months with learned input from all the lawyers here!

weero

The famous 2004 case, I remember, with the courier from Cabramatta. You need significantly more than 'your personal allowance' of hard or medium-hard drugs in order to be eligible for the death penalty. So most Westerners - who keep doing this despite better knowledge - get tolerable jail terms.

There was a lot of controversy in Oz at that time because of statistical claims that Singa would never execute someone from a large, influential country. Citizens of the US, Germany, and Russia had their sentences being downgraded to jail terms before the Oz case. And the media printed readers' opinions that Ng only got the capital punishment because he was Asian Australian.
Perception aside, he also was clearly a pusher and not a consumer which might have triggered the hard stance.
If we were talking about a North American carrier, I'd be with you. The grumpy FAs very often are on a power trip and plenty abuse their Lincolnesque powers awarded to them by 9/11. But on SIA? I have refused to obey crew instructions on numerous occasions and no one even mentioned physical force. If anything, they should be more strict with rogue passengers.

Sure it could happen in these modern times but it is yet far from a pattern, let alone PR damage. After all the clown made it real easy for everyone on board to hate him.

I used to commute on the late SYD-PER a lot and I am sure we had incidents with drunks on every second flight, once even with a whole lady cricket team. So it does happen on those routes. If anything, I found that the crews consistently cut them off late and were always on the lenient side.

ginger50

Oh so right! ^

djjaguar64

Are all Autralians a rowdy bunch? I mean look at all the racial violence in Australia, now they want to bring it onboard planes.

time2go1st

Well it is now a couple of weeks since the initial post. Is there any news about what happened to our young anti-hero when the plane landed; and by the way, would still appreciate any thoughts on whether the SIN authorities would have jurisdiction even if they wanted to press charges, that is the really interesting issue raised here, not how some young Aussies behave.

weero

I strongly disagree - this is just some bizarre though. It is their plane and their airport and their country. So I doubt that they are worried if they are in charge just because you think some sky-court or air-court should decide on the issue.

Plus they already sentenced him, so how could this possibly still be a question?

Did the US hand over the shoe- and the panty-bomber to the legislation of the Atlantic Ocean???

aster

Two weeks free stay in Singapore (albeit with no aircon) was the sentence I believe. Curious how he got home after that: plane or boat.