A man trying to fly from Australia to the United States is now finding himself in a Tahiti jail cellwith a permanent ban on Australia’s flag carrier…
In this post:
Man causes Qantas flight diversionand it’s caught on tape
This incident happened on FridayMay 152026and involves Qantas flight QF21 from Melbourne (MEL) to Dallas (DFW)operated by a Boeing 787-9. The nearly 9,000-mile journey is among the longest out thereand even with a strong tailwindit typically takes 15 hours eastbound.
Howeverthis recent flight took a lot longeras the plane ended up diverting to PapeeteTahiti (PPT)roughly seven hours after it first departed. The plane then spent roughly an hour on the ground therebefore continuing the journey to Dallaswhere it landed just under nine hours later.
In the endthe plane landed in Dallas just around three hours after the scheduled arrival timewhich isn’t badwhen you consider the initial departure out of Melbourne was nearly two hours behind schedule.
Diversions happen all the timeso here’s what makes this interesting. ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) is what crews typically use to communicate with their operations teamand here’s one of the messages that was sent from the operations team to the crew:
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND ASSISTANCE IN MANAGING THE DIVERSION. WHEN YOU HAVE A MOMENT COULD YOU PLEASE PROVIDE THE STAFF NUMBER OF THE CREW MEMBER WHO WAS BITTEN AS WELL AS SEAT NUMBERS FOR ANY PASSENGERS WHO ASSISTED THE CREW WITH THE DISRUPTIVE PASSENGER.
A crew member was bitten?! Oh my…
While I haven’t seen video footage of the actual bitethere is a video out there that captures a dispute between one of the flight attendants and a passenger who seems to definitely be under the influence of something.
This interaction starts with the flight attendant politely asking the passenger to calm down. You can watch the video below (of course be warned that there’s bad language)but just to recap some of the key points:
The passenger asks the flight attendant “we’re in the air?” and “are you smoking weed?”
The passenger then nearly falls over and just can’t stand anymoreand tells people to “f*ck off”
The passenger then says he was “about to walk out for a cigarette”
The flight attendant then says to him “you’re carrying on like a bloody two-bob watch” (whichOMGthat is a really good line — is this widely used Australian slangor does this guy just have some zingers?)
I’m confusedthe guy in the white button down shirtis that just a random passengeror is this one of Australia’s air marshals who broke cover?
Some people shouldn't drink on planesor mix the booze with some other things?
Upon landingthe man was taken into custodyand was also placed on Qantas’ permanent no-fly list.
This kind of behavior is unacceptableof course…
I have some level of sympathy for people who might have mental episodes onboard planes. In this caseeverything about this guy’s behavior is what you’d expect from someone who maybe had too much to drink (or too much of something).
While I realize substance abuse is an addictionpeople also need to know their limits when they’re going in publicand potentially putting the safety of others at risk.
Nowif this guy simply had too much to drinkone wonders how much he had before departurevs. how much he was served onboardbecause that’s obviously something that should be considered as well. It appears that the incident happened around four hours after takeoff (give or take)based on the flight map showing 11 hours remaining to Dallas.
I also have to give the flight attendant credit for doing a good job deescalating the situation. This guy was obviously totally out of itand it quickly became clear that there wasn’t a lot that could be done to control his behavior. And the fact that he threw in the “you’re carrying on like a bloody two-bob watch” is the icing on the cake.
Bottom line
A Qantas Boeing 787 flying from Melbourne to Dallas diverted to Tahiti after a passenger became disruptiveand started yelling and cussing at othersand reportedly even biting a crew member. This man is now in jail in Tahitiand is also permanently banned from Qantas. I hope he gets the help he needs to get his substance abuse issues under controlbut oywhat a mess…
The comments on this page have not been providedreviewedapproved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiserand it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.
We are "serious" about terrorism in the skies but this kind of behavior the criminal justice system in Western Culture (maybe for the exception of Singapore) just shrugs and doesn't consider it dangerous. (Ditto BTW drunk driving).
Should be ten years in prison and a permanent No Fly List. The word would get around the lowlife crowd that you FA in the skies you FO.
You’re entirely incorrect. It’s is considered a danger. Several European carriers have taken legal action to recoup diversion costs. In case of the crew being physically assaulted they have the right to take further action. I’m aware of two cases already where crew members were sexually assaulted and punched. They are suing the passengers.
Airline ought never go to Dallas which is tense with country music and pick-up trucks . Better to go to Tahiti in the first place where one can relax . The only good thing Dallas ever had was Braniff .
The two-bob watch comment sent me! It's only something I've heard from old people living out in the countryso to hear a city-based younger FA use it was hilarious - QF's commitment to all things 'Australiana' knows no bounds ;)
They cannot be banned from all airlines as it involves sharing private data contrary to GDPR as well as a myriad of international laws. In general the individual can only be prohibited from flying the carrier on which the incident took place.
I wondered the same thing about the man in the white button down shirtif he was in business he'd likely have been in PJs by that point of the flight but in economy it seems odd to be so dressed up. I have never heard any mention of air marshals on Qantas flights before but he did seem very comfortable trying to restrain him so maybe he was? Looong trip for everyone but they handled it really well.
In the article Benreports: “You’re carrying on like a bloody two-bob watch” and goes on to say “OMGthat is a really good line — is this widely used Australian slang?”
Well Benhaving served in support of Australian SFback in the daythe wording was a little different. Before the WOKE brigade took over humourthe saying was: “You are acting like a cheap Japanese watch”.
No offence to any Japanese personnel...
In the article Benreports: “You’re carrying on like a bloody two-bob watch” and goes on to say “OMGthat is a really good line — is this widely used Australian slang?”
Well Benhaving served in support of Australian SFback in the daythe wording was a little different. Before the WOKE brigade took over humourthe saying was: “You are acting like a cheap Japanese watch”.
No offence to any Japanese personnel intended. Is that good enough for a ‘get out of jail’ card these days? …. :-)
Pedrospend some time with those ‘funny chaps’ who have an HQ outside Perth. Crack a few FrostiesAlbion or four-Xpin back your ears and learn all sorts of strange sayings.
Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).
The comments on this page have not been providedreviewedapproved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiserand it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.
1990Guest
May 1720267:47 am
Yeahyeah… don’t bite people… *yawn*
Tahiti or Dallas… hmm… I’mm’a stay in Tahiti.
1
IcarusGuest
May 17202611:25 am
They cannot be banned from all airlines as it involves sharing private data contrary to GDPR as well as a myriad of international laws. In general the individual can only be prohibited from flying the carrier on which the incident took place.
0
IcarusGuest
May 17202611:21 am
You’re entirely incorrect. It’s is considered a danger. Several European carriers have taken legal action to recoup diversion costs. In case of the crew being physically assaulted they have the right to take further action. I’m aware of two cases already where crew members were sexually assaulted and punched. They are suing the passengers.
We are "serious" about terrorism in the skies but this kind of behavior the criminal justice system in Western Culture (maybe for the exception of Singapore) just shrugs and doesn't consider it dangerous. (Ditto BTW drunk driving).
Should be ten years in prison and a permanent No Fly List. The word would get around the lowlife crowd that you FA in the skies you FO.
You’re entirely incorrect. It’s is considered a danger. Several European carriers have taken legal action to recoup diversion costs. In case of the crew being physically assaulted they have the right to take further action. I’m aware of two cases already where crew members were sexually assaulted and punched. They are suing the passengers.
Zombie virus outbreak.
Z are coming.
Airline ought never go to Dallas which is tense with country music and pick-up trucks . Better to go to Tahiti in the first place where one can relax . The only good thing Dallas ever had was Braniff .
are you okay?
The two-bob watch comment sent me! It's only something I've heard from old people living out in the countryso to hear a city-based younger FA use it was hilarious - QF's commitment to all things 'Australiana' knows no bounds ;)
The simple solution to mitigate these incidents is to ban the offenders for at least a decade from flying ANY airline. Period.
They cannot be banned from all airlines as it involves sharing private data contrary to GDPR as well as a myriad of international laws. In general the individual can only be prohibited from flying the carrier on which the incident took place.
I wondered the same thing about the man in the white button down shirtif he was in business he'd likely have been in PJs by that point of the flight but in economy it seems odd to be so dressed up. I have never heard any mention of air marshals on Qantas flights before but he did seem very comfortable trying to restrain him so maybe he was? Looong trip for everyone but they handled it really well.
Yepa somewhat common Australian sayingespecially amongst the older generations.
In the article Benreports: “You’re carrying on like a bloody two-bob watch” and goes on to say “OMGthat is a really good line — is this widely used Australian slang?”
Well Benhaving served in support of Australian SFback in the daythe wording was a little different. Before the WOKE brigade took over humourthe saying was: “You are acting like a cheap Japanese watch”.
No offence to any Japanese personnel...
In the article Benreports: “You’re carrying on like a bloody two-bob watch” and goes on to say “OMGthat is a really good line — is this widely used Australian slang?”
Well Benhaving served in support of Australian SFback in the daythe wording was a little different. Before the WOKE brigade took over humourthe saying was: “You are acting like a cheap Japanese watch”.
No offence to any Japanese personnel intended. Is that good enough for a ‘get out of jail’ card these days? …. :-)
So sorry JBthe previous post was supposed to be standalone and not in response to your own …. apologies.
I have lived in Australia for 50 years and never once heard someone use the “cheap Japanese watch” phrase.
Pedrospend some time with those ‘funny chaps’ who have an HQ outside Perth. Crack a few FrostiesAlbion or four-Xpin back your ears and learn all sorts of strange sayings.
Yeahyeah… don’t bite people… *yawn*
Tahiti or Dallas… hmm… I’mm’a stay in Tahiti.
Please end your life already.