Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Virgin Atlantic flight to Jamaica diverted after ‘drunk’ passenger shouts at staff who won’t serve him more alcohol

Video footage shows the man shouting at cabin crew

Helen Coffey
Friday 21 July 2017 04:52 EDT
Comments
The passenger allegedly started yelling when he was refused more to drink
The passenger allegedly started yelling when he was refused more to drink (YouTube/Ola Lily)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Video of a disruptive passenger on a Virgin Atlantic flight to Jamaica has been uploaded online, including his forced removal from the plane after an emergency landing in Bermuda.

The incident occurred on 16 May, after the passenger in question was refused more alcohol by cabin crew, a fellow passenger has claimed.

Ola Lily, who uploaded the footage to YouTube, added the caption: “Emergency Landing in Bermuda on a Virgin Atlantic plane from London Gatwick to Montego Bay, Jamaica.

“Unexpected landing after a passenger threatens cabin crew and fights with other flight attendants and passengers. Drunk man demands more alcohol from the air hostess and when she refuses to give him more, he gets aggressive, starts threatening the staff, swears, shouts and throws things at the other passengers and causes a serious danger.

“The pilot decides to have an emergency landing in Bermuda to get the man arrested and off the plane.”

Virgin Atlantic has confirmed reports that a passenger was removed. A spokesperson said: “Our crew are highly trained to handle these type of situations, and responded quickly to ensure the safety and security of customers on board.

“We do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour on board our aircraft, and whilst these incidents are rare, it is disappointing when a disruptive individual impacts that experience for other customers.”

The footage shows the man shouting and advancing on a male flight attendant, who appears to be attempting to calm him down.

Meanwhile, a female passenger gets involved, shouting at the man from across the plan and asking repeatedly, “Are you mad?”

The man throws an item of clothing at her, which she flings back at him. The video then skips to when the plane made its emergency landing in Hamilton, Bermuda; at least four police officers can be seen pulling him off the plane.

An eyewitness said: “When we landed and the police came, the guy refused to stand up and get off the plane, therefore more police officers had to come and drag him off the plane.

"The pilot then apologised to us and said it was best to land in Bermuda and arrest him as it wasn’t safe for anyone to have him on board.

"At the end of our flight, Virgin Atlantic also gave us an apology letter."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in