Two men have been banned from flying with a British airline after police removed them from a plane for allegedly behaving inappropriately while intoxicated. The incident occurred on a Jet2 flight departing from Leeds Bradford Airport in Yeadon, England, en route to the Greek island of Crete. Ian Boyle, a fellow passenger, saw the disturbance unfold after the flight was delayed. During the delay, the two men reportedly consumed a bottle of vodka, which led to increasingly disruptive behavior.
According to Boyle, the men had brought a duty-free bottle of vodka onboard, thinking it was acceptable to drink during the delay. One of the men became so intoxicated that he was described as ‘uncontrollable.’ Police officers responded to the situation and can be seen in a video escorting the two passengers off the plane and walking with them on the tarmac. Boyle noted that while airline staff tried to manage the situation, the intoxicated passenger overwhelmed them.
West Yorkshire Police confirmed they received assistance following a report of a disturbance. The two men were arrested on suspicion of affray and released on bail. Jet2 issued a statement confirming that the two disruptive passengers have been banned from flying with the airline, emphasizing their zero-tolerance stance towards such behavior. The incident has renewed discussions about the enforcement of in-flight alcohol policies and how airlines handle disruptive passengers. In a similar incident in May, a Southwest flight at Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport had to be held to remove a passenger who refused to disembark after causing a disturbance.