UK woman jailed for trying to open plane door
mid-flight
Haines was sentenced Wednesday over the June 2019
incident.
(CNN)A British woman who tried to open the door of a plane
mid-flight was sentenced to two years in jail Wednesday.
Chloe
Haines, 26, was on a flight from London Stansted Airport to Dalaman in
Turkey in June 2019 when crew members and fellow passengers had to stop her from
opening the door.
"Ms. Haines' behaviour was one of the most serious
cases of disruptive passenger behaviour that we have experienced, and we have
banned her from flying with us for life," said Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and
Jet2holidays in a statement.
Two Royal Air Force fighter jets were
scrambled to escort the jet back to Stansted Airport following the
incident.
Jet2 billed Haines, from High Wycombe, west of London, more
than £85,000 ($110,000) after her "extremely disruptive behavior" caused the
flight to be diverted.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard how Haines had mixed
alcohol and medication before the incident, which she didn't really remember,
the UK's PA Media news agency reports.
Woman arrested after RAF jets escort passenger
plane back to London
Prosecutor Michael Crimp told the court how
Haines "lunged" to open the door of the plane, which was carrying 206
passengers.
Haines had earlier pleaded guilty to endangering the safety
of an aircraft and assaulting Jet2 crew member Charley Coombe.
"Those
that are trapped in the confined space of the aircraft will inevitably be
distressed, frightened and petrified by the actions of those who in a drunken
state endanger their lives," Judge Charles Gratwicke said during sentencing,
according to PA.
"For some it will be their worst nightmare come
true."
Woman billed $105,000 after 'dangerous' behavior forced flight
diversion
Haines said "I want to die" and "I'm going to kill you all" as
others struggled to restrain her.
Her lawyer, Oliver Saxby QC, said
Haines had not drunk alcohol since the incident and had been attending
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings up to four times a week.
"She wasn't just
drunk, she was unwell," he said, adding that Haines has been diagnosed with
mental health problems.
"She's disgusted with herself."
Jet2 CEO
Heapy said alcohol was clearly a contributing factor in the incident, and the
airline is working to crack down on unruly behavior.
"We have been
leading the industry to tackle the issue of drinking to excess in the airport
before flying, as well as the illicit consumption of duty free alcohol on board
the aircraft, for some time," he said.
"As another busy summer
approaches, we look forward to continuing to work with the government and our
partners across the industry to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable and
comfortable journey without the minority spoiling it."
The UK government has
said it will review licensing laws that currently allow airport passengers to
drink around the clock, following a spike in incidents of drunkenness.
Abonner på:
Legg inn kommentarer (Atom)
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.