BB FANS

Times Online
December 29, 2005
By Simon Freeman

A drunken passenger who abused cabin crew on a flight to Tenerife was made a castaway by the airline, which abandoned him on a tiny Atlantic island 300 miles away from his destination.

Monarch Airlines said that the man became rude and aggressive towards staff shortly after flight ZB558 took off from Manchester on Tuesday evening.

When he refused to calm down, the pilot took the decision to divert the plane and make an unscheduled stop-off at an airstrip on the remote Portuguese island of Porto Santo.

The passenger was frogmarched out - and his luggage removed from the hold - before the Airbus A321 carrying 200 other passengers took off again, leaving him behind.

It is unclear whether the man was arrested, or how he intends to leave the island, which measures ten miles by three miles and has a population of just under 5,000. Porto Santo, described as an unspoilt island paradise, is a two-hour ferry ride away from the nearest major airport on Madeira.

A spokesman for Monarch, the Italian-owned operation based in Manchester, said that the man was putting the safety of other passengers in danger.

"Despite repeated attempts by Monarch staff to calm the individual, the passenger’s behaviour did not improve and the decision was taken to divert to Porto Santo at 1955 where the passenger was removed," he said.

"The action was taken in the interests of all the passengers. That sort of behaviour is not acceptable. He was the given the chance to calm down and he declined it. He was given a form, a caution for his behaviour, and he refused to sign it."

The spokesman added that the passenger would not be welcome to return to Manchester on a Monarch flight.

A drunken air passenger who was cast away on a remote Atlantic island could be handed a £3,000 bill for the detour.

The 53-year-old, from Preston, Lancs, was dumped amidst claims he swore at cabin staff when refused wine on the Monarch Airlines flight to Tenerife.

He was marched off by police on Porto Santo, a Portuguese-run island, after the pilot made the unscheduled stop

Monarch said it was lodging a complaint with Greater Manchester Police and taking action to recover its costs.

The breakdown of costs include landing charges, navigation charges, handling charges and extra fuel.

Police informed

A company spokeswoman said: "Monarch Airlines is to take action against the passenger to reclaim the additional costs incurred as a result of the diversion."

It is alleged the passenger became aggressive towards cabin crew and fellow passengers onboard Monarch flight ZB558 from Manchester on 27 December.

"Despite repeated attempts by the crew to calm him, his disruptive behaviour continued and the decision to divert the flight was taken," the spokeswoman added.

"Monarch Airlines will shortly refer all of its internal reports regarding the incident to the airport sub-division of Greater Manchester Police, formally requesting that the matter be investigated."

After the incident the plane and its remaining passengers took off again for Tenerife, where it landed almost four hours late after the unscheduled stop.

The Atlantic island, which is 10 miles long and three miles wide, is a two-hour ferry journey to Madeira.

Story from :
BBC NEWS
Published: 2006/01/05 13:16:31 GMT

More than 200 UK-bound passengers were stranded at an airport in Orlando for several hours due to a drunk passenger.

The Thomsonfly plane from Cancun to Manchester was diverted to Sanford Airport after a man allegedly began arguing with the person next to him. A passenger claimed the man attacked a couple of crew members before being restrained. He also smashed a toilet.

A man is due to appear in court on Tuesday charged with "interfering with flight crew," according to the FBI.

A total of 232 other passengers were placed in hotels at Sanford Airport and are now due to fly back to the UK on Monday.

The plane had been due to land at Manchester Airport at 0745 GMT on Sunday.

The FBI said the passenger, who has been named as Rafal Krawczyk, assaulted three flight attendants and several passengers were needed to restrain him.

It confirmed he had been charged with "interfering with a flight crew" and would appear in court on Tuesday.

He was travelling on a Polish passport but is resident in Ireland, said the FBI.

Ian MacGranthin, a passenger on flight BY437B, said: "Somebody got out of hand.

"He attacked a couple of crew members and a few people got knocked about. Eventually he had to be restrained."

A Thomsonfly spokesman said: "A passenger apparently had had too much to drink and was drinking his own alcohol.

"He got into an argument with the passenger sitting next to him and got quite aggressive.

"He went to the toilet and started a bit of fuss and started to smash the toilet up.

"The captain took the decision for the safety of all passengers to take the aircraft into Sanford."

The plane was met by local police, who escorted the passenger away.

Thomsonfly said all the remaining passengers would be flown to Birmingham Airport on Monday morning, although it is not yet known what time the flight will land.

The flight had originally been due to stop at Birmingham and Manchester but will now only land at Birmingham.

Those who need to travel to Manchester are likely to be taken by bus.

Story from:
BBC NEWS
Published: 2006/01/15 19:58:08 GMT