'Don't take the law into your own hands': Flight passengers who help restrain out-of-control travellers may may face prosecution, expert warns after drunk man had to be tied up on flight to Singapore
- Professor Bartsch has warned travellers not to 'take the law into their own hands'
- He says passengers shouldn't try and restrain out of control flight passengers
- Passengers can experience 'air rage' which can be sparked by many factors
- Recent flight had to make emergency landing as a passenger became violent
- The commotion caused the pilot to terminate the flight early, diverted to Sydney
An expert has issued a stark warning to plane passengers who attempt to 'take the law into their own hands' and restrain out of control travellers.
Former head of safety for Qantas, Professor Ron Bartsch, said passengers should think twice before getting involved in a mid-air confrontation with a fellow rider who is experiencing a bout of 'air rage'.
Dr Bartsch's advice comes shortly after passengers on board a flight bound for Singapore ended up in Sydney after an unruly traveller forced the pilot to turn around and make an emergency landing.
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In a recent flight an out of control passenger (pictured) had to be restrained after he was drunk and disorderly. There is no suggesting anyone pictured committed wrongdoing
Passengers' aggressive behaviour can be sparked by a whole host of factors from lack of sleep to personal issues and mental health problems.
Professor Bartsch said if a fellow passenger is showing signs of air rage, others should hold off getting involved, and only do so as an 'absolute last resort'.
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'So I would say to passengers, no, don't take the law into your own hands,' he told 9News.
'Because even in that, quite inadvertently, you may even be committing an offence in doing so,' Dr Bartsch added.
If a passenger is acting unacceptably the captain has the authority to tell the cabin crew to arrest and detain that individual.
The person will then be handed over to authorities once the aircraft lands.
The term air rage is used to describe a person who gets unreasonably angry whilst on board a flight. (Pictured is a previous incident on an aircraft) There is no suggesting anyone pictured committed wrongdoing
The shocking moment a drunk passenger on a Scoot flight became embroiled in a violent altercation has been caught on camera. There is no suggesting anyone pictured committed wrongdoing
Earlier this month, Scoot Flight TR7 was just over an hour into its eight-hour journey from the Gold Coast when a man became involved in a violent mid-air incident.
Footage shows a vicious fight break out between the man and another passenger - as others watched in horror.
The man partially stripped off his clothes before being tackled by several 'burly blokes' and restrained with cable ties supplied by crew while the plane made an emergency landing in Sydney.
Tattoo artist Rico Garilli, who filmed the fight, said the man was 'way too drunk' before the flight and should never have been allowed on the plane.
He told Sunrise: 'We were sitting next to him at the bar while the flight was delayed and he was putting them down.
Scoot Flight TR7 was just over an hour into its eight-hour journey when the out-of-control passenger became involved in a violent mid-air incident
'Before we'd even taken off he was standing up and staff couldn't control him. We probably shouldn't have taken off in the first place.
'He was prety incoherent - he was slurring his words. It was so surprising they let him on the flight - from the get-go you could tell he was just way too drunk.'
Another incident just this month also saw a drunk passenger on a crowded holiday jet heading for Russia 'neutralised' by tourists.
Passengers were forced to tie him up with sticky tape and belts after the crew were unable too subdue the man - and the pilot made it clear he was ready to make an emergency landing to hand the 'hooligan' over to police in China or Mongolia.
- 7 News Sydney on Twitter: "BREAKING: A man on board a Scoot flight from the Gold Coast to Singapore had to be restrained by passengers and staff after he became involved in an altercation around 20 minutes into the flight. Due to the drama in th ...
- News Australia: Aeroplane violence from passengers - what to do
- Sunrise on Twitter: "“Staff couldn’t control him… we probably shouldn’t have taken off in the first place” — a passenger onboard a flight from Gold Coast to Singapore which was forced to turn around after a ma ...
