A Fiji Airways flight ended in chaos when a passenger's mouth had to be taped shut after allegedly verbally abusing her husband, fellow passengers, and flight attendants for most of the 11-hour trip.
The drama unfolded aboard flight FJ871, which departed San Francisco late on January 18th to Nadi, Fiji.
The woman - reportedly Australian but speaking with an American accent - allegedly became intoxicated and disruptive, forcing the crew members to take some serious action.
Videos shared by passengers show her yelling at flight attendants and accusing them of "abusing" her, shouting phrases like, "This is criminal, you b***h," while getting way too close to one staff member’s face.
Attempts to calm her down included moving her husband to another seat, but the situation only escalated.
The crew eventually had to move her to the back of the plane, and when that didn’t work, they tried duct-taping her mouth shut.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji: “If a member of the crew deems behaviour disruptive, they have the right to take measures they think reasonable to prevent the passenger from continuing that behaviour.”
However, there are no clear guidelines around the use of tape.
Witnesses told News Corp the woman yelled "racist and vulgar" abuse, threatened to throw things, and at one point, slapped a flight attendant's hand.
Parents onboard were reportedly covering their young kids' ears during the heated exchange that lasted hours.
Once the flight landed in Nadi, police arrested the woman, charging her under Fiji’s Civil Aviation Act for being an “unruly passenger.”
She was fined $345 after appearing in court and has since been allowed to leave the country.
“She was produced in court on Thursday last week, where the above penalty was issued,” a Fiji police spokesman told news.com.au. “She appeared again, paid her fine, and the stop departure was lifted. The case is now discharged.”
Fiji Airways added: “The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority,” highlighting their zero-tolerance policy for such disruptive behaviour.
