Jetstar Brisbane to Perth flight incident: Queensland man charged after allegedly threatening air hostess

A North Queensland man has been charged after allegedly ”threatening” an air hostess on a Jetstar flight to Perth, forcing the plane to turn around and land back in Brisbane. Passenger Michelle Harbison told The West Australian she was travelling home from Brisbane to Perth on flight JQ964 with her two teenage children on Tuesday evening when the incident unfolded. Ms Harbison said a man in his 30s was moved to the back of the plane after being “loud and vocal” and “harassing some of the women”. “An air hostess mentioned that he had been threatening ... we don’t know exactly what he was saying, but the air hostess was speaking to a passenger in front of us and she was quite distressed and upset,” she told The West. Ms Harbison said she had spoken to other passengers who recalled seeing the man following one of the flight attendants down the aisle of the plane. Ms Harbison also said she could smell alcohol and believed he was intoxicated. “(They said) there’s this guy and he is walking up and down the aisle ... he followed the air hostess at one stage, walking up and down with her,” she said. “I tried not to look back to see what was happening, but the air hostess did come past at one stage ... and she looked pretty teary and upset, meanwhile, the guy was literally standing behind her. “The poor air hostess was going up and down (the plane) and she was young and he was trailing her the whole way.” Ms Harbison said they had been flying for about four hours before the flight attendant “discreetly” came past and asked the passengers to prepare for landing. The plane was turned around and landed safely at Brisbane Airport about 11.30pm on Wednesday night. Ms Harbison said the passenger was escorted away by police officers when the plane landed. On Thursday, an AFP spokesperson confirmed a North Queensland man had been charged with offensive and disorderly behaviour on an aircraft. The 38-year-old was granted bail and will face Brisbane Magistrates Court in January. “The AFP will provide updates at an appropriate time,” the spokesperson said. The rest of the passengers were put up in a hotel and were redeployed on a “rescue” flight on Wednesday morning. “I have to give credit to Jetstar ... they were really good at getting us straight off the plane and sorting accommodation, buses and a new rescue flight,” Ms Harbison said. Passengers were provided overnight accommodation and departed the following morning. A Jetstar spokesman thanked customers for their patience while crew managed the incident. “We really appreciate customers’ understanding and patience while our crew managed the situation in the air, and once back in Brisbane, worked to get them on their way again,” he said. “We will never tolerate disruptive behaviour on our aircraft as safety is our number one priority.”