His behavior aboard United Airlines flight UA870 from Sydney to San Francisco caused the flight to be diverted to Auckland, New Zealand, making those aboard more than a day late to their destination and potentially costing the airline $150,000.
New Zealand Police said it wasn't expected the 42-year-old would be charged, however, he was detained to be sent back to his point of origin, the NZ Herald reported.
Video from aboard the plane on Sunday shows the man on a phone, saying: 'Tell my dad to get his law firm ready because United Airlines just diverted the f***ing plane because I complained to some fat f**k who got in my f***ing face'.
He then gestures rudely at the person recording him and claims it's not his fault the flight was diverted.
Passenger Peter Barrett said the man was so aggravated he seemed near to physical violence, scaring passengers, the NZ Herald reported.
'At one point he went to the bathroom for 20 minutes which raised more than a few eyebrows.
'The behavior seemed more like a pharmacological excess or deficit than simple alcohol.'
Mr. Barrett praised the cabin crew for their actions during the ordeal while another man said some passengers had been briefed in restraining techniques in case the man got 'physical'.
The plane left Sydney just after 1pm on Sunday and turned back to Auckland after they were denied permission to land in Fiji or American Samoa.
Another passenger described the man, a Caucasian, as a 'bigoted passenger [that] screamed... misogynistic [and] disturbing words' to everyone.
Anjou Ahlborn Kay captured some of the drama on video which she posted on Facebook.
The two short videos she took showed the man arguing with a cabin crew member and then being frogmarched off the plane by New Zealand police officers.
New Zealand police said the man was 'badly behaved' and was arrested on arrival before being referred to immigration.
A United Airlines spokeswoman said the flight was diverted because a passenger failed to follow crew instructions.
All 252 passengers had to be put up in hotels overnight.
An aviation expert, Irene King, said the incident would have cost United Airlines $150,000.
She also said when international flights landed in New Zealand, the country's law could apply, 1 news reported.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
A plane on its way from Sydney to United States had to divert after an angry passenger swore at a flight attendant and called her a ‘fat arse’.
Other passengers filmed the encounter as the man was abusive to staff, ranting: ‘I’m not yelling at you – but do you want me to f*cking yell?
When warned that his behavior could lead to the plane being turned around, he responds: ‘Do you know how cool it would be to have the airplane turned around? You’d do that?’
He then continues: ‘I’m getting so impolite aren’t I? Fat arse.’
Video from the cabin shows the argument, as well as the consequences when police arrived during the aircraft’s impromptu stop in New Zealand, so he could be arrested.
Anjou Ahlborn Kay, a passenger, shared the footage on Facebook where she described the man as ‘bigoted’ and ‘disturbing’.
He allegedly became angry when two passengers who knew each other were seated either side of him, and started having a conversation over him.
The two passengers were described as being of Indian or Pakistani descent, and the man was accused of racism as he had a problem sitting with them.
‘If you guys treat people right on these things, you see two last names the same don’t put someone else in the middle of them,’ he tells the flight attendant in the video.
The United Airlines flight had been bound directly for San Francisco on New Year’s Day, but had to make the unscheduled stop in Auckland.
All 252 passengers on board had to be put up in hotels overnight.
A witness told the New Zealand Herald: ‘The rant progressed from cursing Indians to Asians to Muslims to non-whites in general and calling flight crew f****** and fat asses,’ he said.
‘He was subdued after the pilot announced the diversion to Auckland.’
Police said the man, aged 42, was arrested on arrival before being referred to immigration.
National border manager Senta Jehle told the paper that the man was an American national.
‘He was refused entry to New Zealand as he did not meet entry and border requirements,’ he said.
‘He is now in police custody while arrangements are made for him to board a flight back to the United States.’
Story, video and photos: http://metro.co.uk
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