Gay couple targeted by slurs on Jetstar Australia flight

A JETSTAR passenger has told how she and her partner were subjected to a barrage of vile homophobic slurs on their domestic flight, claiming staff failed to intervene.

Cat Franke, 23, and Julz Evans, 26, were travelling from Melbourne to Perth on New Year's Eve when they were verbally abused by an "intoxicated, arrogant man" sitting behind them.

Ms Franke detailed the incident in a Facebook post, saying it was the "most awful verbal abuse and discrimination I have ever experienced".

The man allegedly kicked and punched the back of their seats, shouting homophhoc slurs and singing loudly.

"I feared for mine and my partner's lives on that plane, we were physically trapped with someone who wanted to hurt us and make sure we had a terrible time," Ms Franke wrote.

"When I spoke up to ask him to stop, he only got more aggressive and louder with his homophobic hate speech and began boxing the back of my partner's chair.

"The punching continued for hours and my partner could not lean back against their seat. They had to lean forward against the seat in front, even upon landing.
 

Ms Farnke alleges flight staff were alerted to the passenger's behaviuros but did not step in and continued to serve the man alcohol while they "giggled" at his drunkenness.

A Jetstar spokesperson told Fairfax Media the airline did not tolerate discrimination of any kind and that the case would be submitted to the behaviour review panel for assessment.