A 33-year-old man from Western Australia was fined almost $6,000 for causing a flight from Perth to Sydney to be diverted
last year. His ‘disorderly behavior’ in the aircraft led the court to order him to reimburse the airline for the cost of wasted aviation fuel
. Last year, three drunk passengers faced fines after
a Virgin Australia flight was diverted from Bali to Darwin
.
Unruly Australian man fined approx. $12,000 USD
The Federal Australian Police (AFP) reported that an unnamed man from Western Australia was ordered to “pay more than $8630 ($5,840 USD) in fuel costs and fined $9000 ($6,090 USD) by Perth Magistrates Court following an incident on a flight last year.” The Aussie police stated they responded to a request for assistance from airline staff on board a flight flying from the Western Australian city of Perth to the East Coast city of Sydney in September last year. In 2023, the AFP reported that the max fine was $13,750 AUD ($9,300 USD), apparently excluding fuel reimbursement.
Photo: Austin Deppe | Shutterstock
The police state the “man’s behavior caused the flight to return to Perth, which required the pilot to dump fuel before landing, as well as the cancellation of the flight.” Last year, the Federal Australian Police reported of the incident; “AFP officers at Perth Airport responded to a call for assistance from airline staff overnight (24 September, 2023), after an alleged intoxicated passenger verbally abused a cabin crew member and failed to comply with the direction of staff.” The plane returned to Perth, although it is unclear what the airline or aircraft type was.
“This incident should serve as a warning that criminal behaviour on board can come at a heavy cost to the offender. It’s far simpler to obey the directions of airline staff than cause unnecessary issues, which can end up hitting you in the hip pocket. The AFP is committed to ensuring all travellers have a safe journey from their departure through to their arrival at their destination.” Australian Acting Superintendent Davis
Upon arrest, he was charged with one count of disorderly behavior on an aircraft and one count of failure to comply with safety instructions. The man pleaded guilty to both offenses on September 5, 2024.
Hefty fines for unruly passengers
While the combined fines of around $12,000 USD may seem hefty, they are only around 10% of the cost some airlines lose for diverted flights. For example, one Hawaiian Airlines flight that had to divert due to a drunk passenger (involving an Airbus A330) reportedly cost the airline around $150,000. In that instance,
the passenger was reported to be ordered to pay $98,000 in compensation
.
Photo: Steve Worner | Shutterstock
In the US, unruly behavior on aircraft can (theoretically) result in fines of up to $250,000 and up to 20 years in prison. It is unclear if any such fines have ever been charged in practice, although in April 2024, a passenger was fined $20,638 after threatening to “mess up the plane,” forcing the flight to be diverted.
In China, one somewhat reoccurring theme is passengers throwing lucky coins
in the aircraft engines before takeoff.