Picture it: you booked a sunny holiday to Cyprus, but suddenly, instead of basking in the sun on a beach, you are sitting at Cologne Bonn Airport in Germany because one passenger decided to have an absolute wrestling match mid-flight. That is reportedly what happened when a Jet2 flight made an emergency landing after onboard mayhem ensued.
The Chaos
The passenger in question? A 41-year-old woman from the UK. Reports indicate that she went on a rampage—kicking, punching, swearing, and yelling at, and even threatening, both crew members and fellow travelers. Passengers reported it was the very real kind of nightmare that they only expect to see in social media videos.
The Police
Upon seeing the plane land, German police jumped into action. As soon as the plane landed at 7:20 PM local time, officers boarded the plane, took hold of the woman, who had reportedly been extremely intoxicated, and detained her. She was taken to the police station and remained detained until she sobered up, and is now facing deportation charges.
Why Alcohol Hits Harder at Altitude
The Federal Police issued a reminder that drinking at a height of 30,000ft is not the same as having a pint at your local pub. Height equates to lower air pressure, and different levels of oxygen, which can mean that even having “just a few drinks” is going to hit differently; responsible drinking is not only a matter of courtesy, it’s about being safe when flying.
Taking a Look at the Bigger Picture
And this was not even Jet2’s first experience with an in-flight crisis due to intoxicated passengers. Just days prior to this incident, there was another Jet2 flight from Leeds Bradford to Alicante that returned back over Leicester, once again due to drunk passengers. Jet2 may be racking up more drunken bar fights than some nightclubs.
What about the Stranded Holidaymakers?
In the meantime, albeit passengers who did not punch on did realise their own headache, after the emergency landing flight had some technical issues, meaning passengers needed to wait until Jet2 sorted a replacement plane, not quite the relaxing start to their holiday they might’ve hoped for.
