A troublesome airline passenger has received an unusual form of punishment: he has to pay the airline the cost of fuel.
According to the Australian Federal Police (AFP), a 32-year-old man from Western Australia caused disruption on a flight from Perth to Sydney. As a result, the plane had to turn around and head back to Perth, meaning the pilot was forced to burn some fuel to land.
The passenger has now been ordered to pay A$8,630 back to the airline to cover the cost of the wasted fuel.
The Perth Magistrates Court also fined him A$6,055, meaning his bad behaviour in the air has a total price tag of A$14,685 – likely many times more than what he spent on the ticket.
“This incident should serve as a warning that criminal behaviour on board can have a high cost for the offender,” AFP Acting Superintendent Shona Davis said in a statement.
“It is much simpler to follow the instructions of airline staff than to cause unnecessary problems, which could end up hitting you in the pocket.”
Although the flight took place on September 25, 2023, it took about a year for the case against the unruly passenger to work its way through the Australian legal system.
Neither the man nor the airline have been publicly named, nor has it been specified exactly what he did to receive such a large fine.
The passenger pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct on an aircraft and one count of failing to comply with safety instructions.
While charging a disruptive traveler the cost of fuel is not a typical penalty, other types of fines are more common.
In 2021, the US Federal Aviation Administration announced that it would introduce a zero-tolerance policy for passengers who misbehave on planes.
That year, passengers were fined for a series of incidents on planes in the US, including one passenger who tried to enter the cabin and had to be restrained, and another who punched a flight attendant in the face, sending him to the hospital.
More serious cases of in-flight misconduct are also reported to the Department of Justice.
The largest single fine, $40,823, was handed down to a traveler who brought his own alcohol on board, was drunk, tried to smoke marijuana in the bathroom and sexually assaulted a flight attendant — all on a single flight.
This content was originally published in Passenger ordered to pay more than R$30,000 in fuel after landing due to bad behavior on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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