Woman fined $600 and booted off plane after complaining about being sat in economy
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We’ve all had our share of frustrating experiences while flying. From screaming babies, and inconsiderate seat-kickers, to that one passenger who hogs the armrests…the list goes on. It seems that dealing with bad passengers makes air travel a lot more difficult than necessary.
But sometimes, this bad behaviour can go a step too far. Like in the case of this one plane passenger who was booted off a flight from Sydney to Hawaii.
According to the files from Downing Centre Local Court, Daniele De Matos was set to board Hawaiian Airlines flight HA452 last Saturday and make the 8,180km journey from Sydney to Hawaii. However, Daniele began causing trouble even before the flight departed.
The 36-year-old became verbally abusive towards staff after they made her sit in economy class when she’d paid for a business class seat.
Apparently, the cabin crew quickly realised their mistake and directed the woman to her correct business class seat. Once there, she calmed down quickly.
However, another incident occurred when one of the cabin crew took an alcoholic beverage from her prematurely. This caused the woman to become verbally abusive, again, to the staff member. Shortly after, her mood changed and she became apologetic and remorseful.
Daniele’s ‘good mood’ didn’t last long, though.
Once everyone was seated, the plane left the gate and began taxiing towards the runway for take-off. That was when Daniele decided it would be a good idea to ‘stare down’ one of the flight attendants – who was also the same person who took Daniele’s drink away – while she demonstrated inflight safety rules.
Of course, this left the cabin crew feeling uncomfortable and intimidated. According to the official statement, Daniele didn’t stop her intimidating tactics there.
‘Shortly after the demonstration concluded, the accused ordered the cabin crew not to look at her for nine hours.’
The cabin crew rightfully advised the captain of the situation. The captain said that the accused’s behaviour and disorderly conduct presented a risk to the safety of the aircraft.
So, the captain decided to turn the aircraft around and parked it back at the terminal to offload Daniele. While that was going on, another staff member explained the situation to the woman.
Witnesses say a female flight attendant then ‘placed her hand on the accused’s shoulder to calm her, which caused the accused to act aggressively towards the crew member’.
Once the plane reached the gate, airport staff attempted to order Daniele off the aircraft. But she refused to step out and called the police instead.
Aussie Federal Police officers arrived to take her away, but eventually, Daniele walked off the plane of her own volition.
Daniele De Matos delayed the flight for more than an hour. She was subsequently arrested and charged for her actions.
The accused pleaded guilty to one count of behaving in an offensive or disorderly manner affecting safety. She was also fined $600.
AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden released a statement regarding this matter: ‘We are once again reminding the public to act considerably at airports and treat other passengers and staff members with respect.’
Well, this story was certainly frustrating, wasn’t it? What about you, members? Do you have similar experiences you want to share? Let us know in the comments section below!
But sometimes, this bad behaviour can go a step too far. Like in the case of this one plane passenger who was booted off a flight from Sydney to Hawaii.
According to the files from Downing Centre Local Court, Daniele De Matos was set to board Hawaiian Airlines flight HA452 last Saturday and make the 8,180km journey from Sydney to Hawaii. However, Daniele began causing trouble even before the flight departed.
The 36-year-old became verbally abusive towards staff after they made her sit in economy class when she’d paid for a business class seat.
Apparently, the cabin crew quickly realised their mistake and directed the woman to her correct business class seat. Once there, she calmed down quickly.
After realising their mistake the flight attendants quickly escorted Daniele to her correct seat. Credit: Tim Gouw in Pexels
However, another incident occurred when one of the cabin crew took an alcoholic beverage from her prematurely. This caused the woman to become verbally abusive, again, to the staff member. Shortly after, her mood changed and she became apologetic and remorseful.
Daniele’s ‘good mood’ didn’t last long, though.
Once everyone was seated, the plane left the gate and began taxiing towards the runway for take-off. That was when Daniele decided it would be a good idea to ‘stare down’ one of the flight attendants – who was also the same person who took Daniele’s drink away – while she demonstrated inflight safety rules.
Of course, this left the cabin crew feeling uncomfortable and intimidated. According to the official statement, Daniele didn’t stop her intimidating tactics there.
‘Shortly after the demonstration concluded, the accused ordered the cabin crew not to look at her for nine hours.’
The ‘belligerent’ woman was escorted out of the plane. Credit: Gustavo Fring in Pexels
The cabin crew rightfully advised the captain of the situation. The captain said that the accused’s behaviour and disorderly conduct presented a risk to the safety of the aircraft.
So, the captain decided to turn the aircraft around and parked it back at the terminal to offload Daniele. While that was going on, another staff member explained the situation to the woman.
Witnesses say a female flight attendant then ‘placed her hand on the accused’s shoulder to calm her, which caused the accused to act aggressively towards the crew member’.
Once the plane reached the gate, airport staff attempted to order Daniele off the aircraft. But she refused to step out and called the police instead.
Aussie Federal Police officers arrived to take her away, but eventually, Daniele walked off the plane of her own volition.
Daniele De Matos delayed the flight for more than an hour. She was subsequently arrested and charged for her actions.
The accused pleaded guilty to one count of behaving in an offensive or disorderly manner affecting safety. She was also fined $600.
AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden released a statement regarding this matter: ‘We are once again reminding the public to act considerably at airports and treat other passengers and staff members with respect.’
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