Jetstar flight turns around over irate passenger: ‘Worst language I’ve ever heard’
- Replies 4
The dream of a relaxing holiday in the tropical paradise of Bali turned into a nightmare for passengers aboard Jetstar Flight JQ43 from Melbourne when a passenger's outburst caused the plane to turn back six hours into the journey.
This incident has sparked a conversation among our community about the expectations and realities of air travel, especially when dealing with disruptive behaviour on board.
Peter Cogan, a passenger on the ill-fated flight, has expressed frustration with Jetstar's response to the mid-air chaos.
He claimed to have been the main target of the woman's verbal and physical abuse, an experience that left him and his partner deeply traumatised.
Despite the severity of the situation, Cogan's requests for compensation, including an upgrade on a future flight, were denied by the airline.
'I was the one picked on, the whole thing was in shambles—the woman should never have been allowed on the plane, she was punching walls and swearing in the lounge beforehand,' Cogan said.
The situation escalated when the woman, who had previously been seen punching walls and swearing in the airport lounge, allegedly threw a punch at Cogan, knocking his glasses off.
Her foul-mouthed tirades and threats continued, leaving passengers in shock.
Cogan alleged the woman said, ‘I don't care how f*****g old you are, you old c***, stand up so I can bash you.'
'I've never been spoken to or seen anyone abused like that in my life,' he said.
'I've been around pubs, and managed hotels for years and it was the worst language I have ever heard.’
Cogan's attempts to reach Jetstar's customer service proved futile, leading to weeks of back-and-forth communication that ultimately ended with the airline offering no compensation.
'Trying to get someone from customer service was impossible,' Cogan said.
'We ended up on a chatline with someone from the Philippines who didn't even know about the incident.'
Kyle Hand, another passenger on the flight, recounted the chaotic scenes that unfolded after the woman spent 30 minutes in the toilet and then began pacing the aisle and hurling abuse.
'I would say the [bloke] would have been about 75, and that's when it really kicked off,' Hand said.
'I am not sure what happened, but she kept abusing a few more people down the back—they ended up restraining her.’
The situation escalated to the point where the woman banged on the cockpit door, mistakenly believing someone had stolen her phone, and was eventually restrained after screaming at other travellers.
Cogan is now preparing ‘to take it further’ by escalating his complaints to the Airline Customer Advocate.
'It's not only me and I was the most affected on the flight,' he said.
'Everyone on that flight should have got $100 or $200 from Jetstar.'
A Jetstar spokesperson stated that every measure was taken to accommodate customers and that they would review further claims on a case-by-case basis.
The airline added it provided overnight accommodation to any customers who needed it and covered other ‘reasonable expenses’ such as meals.
You can watch the video below:
Credit: Sky News Australia / YouTube
In a similar story, a 52-year-old man committed what other passengers described as a 'hideous and despicable' act during a flight from Gold Coast to Melbourne.
The incident happened on 18 December when he was spotted vaping by flight attendants who asked him to stop.
You can read more about the incident here.
Have you ever encountered a similar situation on a flight? How do you think airlines should handle unruly passengers? Let us know in the comments below!
This incident has sparked a conversation among our community about the expectations and realities of air travel, especially when dealing with disruptive behaviour on board.
Peter Cogan, a passenger on the ill-fated flight, has expressed frustration with Jetstar's response to the mid-air chaos.
He claimed to have been the main target of the woman's verbal and physical abuse, an experience that left him and his partner deeply traumatised.
A Jetstar flight to Bali turned back due to a passenger’s outbursts. Credit: Sky News Australia / YouTube
Despite the severity of the situation, Cogan's requests for compensation, including an upgrade on a future flight, were denied by the airline.
'I was the one picked on, the whole thing was in shambles—the woman should never have been allowed on the plane, she was punching walls and swearing in the lounge beforehand,' Cogan said.
The situation escalated when the woman, who had previously been seen punching walls and swearing in the airport lounge, allegedly threw a punch at Cogan, knocking his glasses off.
Her foul-mouthed tirades and threats continued, leaving passengers in shock.
Cogan alleged the woman said, ‘I don't care how f*****g old you are, you old c***, stand up so I can bash you.'
'I've never been spoken to or seen anyone abused like that in my life,' he said.
'I've been around pubs, and managed hotels for years and it was the worst language I have ever heard.’
Cogan's attempts to reach Jetstar's customer service proved futile, leading to weeks of back-and-forth communication that ultimately ended with the airline offering no compensation.
'Trying to get someone from customer service was impossible,' Cogan said.
'We ended up on a chatline with someone from the Philippines who didn't even know about the incident.'
Kyle Hand, another passenger on the flight, recounted the chaotic scenes that unfolded after the woman spent 30 minutes in the toilet and then began pacing the aisle and hurling abuse.
'I would say the [bloke] would have been about 75, and that's when it really kicked off,' Hand said.
'I am not sure what happened, but she kept abusing a few more people down the back—they ended up restraining her.’
The situation escalated to the point where the woman banged on the cockpit door, mistakenly believing someone had stolen her phone, and was eventually restrained after screaming at other travellers.
Cogan is now preparing ‘to take it further’ by escalating his complaints to the Airline Customer Advocate.
'It's not only me and I was the most affected on the flight,' he said.
'Everyone on that flight should have got $100 or $200 from Jetstar.'
A Jetstar spokesperson stated that every measure was taken to accommodate customers and that they would review further claims on a case-by-case basis.
The airline added it provided overnight accommodation to any customers who needed it and covered other ‘reasonable expenses’ such as meals.
You can watch the video below:
Credit: Sky News Australia / YouTube
In a similar story, a 52-year-old man committed what other passengers described as a 'hideous and despicable' act during a flight from Gold Coast to Melbourne.
The incident happened on 18 December when he was spotted vaping by flight attendants who asked him to stop.
You can read more about the incident here.
.png){kind=icon}
