The passenger who caused a Jet2 flight to Tenerife to be diverted for an emergency landing in Portugal en route because he was drunk and urinated in the cabin on April 18th, has been banned for life by the airline who have confirmed that they are also suing him for costs of a"five-figure sum" for the incident.
55-year-old Eric Forrest was at the centre of the scandal on a Jet2 plane flying from Glasgow to Tenerife South when, according to the airline, he started drinking alcohol that had been bought in Duty Free, which is illegal on aeroplanes, and when told to stop, drunkenly stood up and urinated in front of the other astonished passengers.
Following this the flight was diverted to Faro in Portugal, where Forrest was escorted from the plane by police. After the incident, whilst at Faro airport waiting to go back to Scotland, Forrest admitted that he was drunk but denied that he had urinated saying that he had emptied the bottle of drink over the floor in protest at not being allowed to drink it, and offered an apology to Jet2 and the other passengers.
However, Jet2 aren’t prepared to accept his explanation and apology and have confirmed that they have banned him from flying with them for life, and are going to take him to court to recover the costs they incurred for three key reasons.
Firstly, the diversion led to a 24-hour delay for the other passengers on board, as the plane had to be deep-cleaned after he urinated, and when it was finished crew were over their allowed hours and not allowed to fly.
This meant that passengers had to be accommodated overnight in Portugal before continuing their journey, and then there was the knock-on effect for transfer costs when they got to Tenerife as more buses and coaches were needed, and that’s before you start taking into account the people who were also delayed in Tenerife before going home to Glasgow on that plane.
Jet2's managing director, Phil Ward, has apologized to all passengers and workers affected by the incident and reiterated that the well-being of passengers is paramount to the airline, which is why they are banning Forrest for life and taking steps to seek compensation for costs incurred.
Passenger safety is paramount:
Incidents on board flights can have serious consequences, both for passengers and airlines. Jet2 has taken strong measures to ensure that unacceptable behaviour is not tolerated and that its passengers travel safely and comfortably.
It also highlights the importance of following the regulations and guidelines set by the airlines. Passengers must remember that they are in a shared space with other travellers and must act accordingly in a considerate and respectful manner at all times.
Inappropriate behaviour can not only result in a lifetime ban from an airline but can also have serious legal consequences, and they are looking at how deterrents can be implemented with harsher penalties. Currently, there are fines from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for disruptive passengers, as follows: https://www.caa.co.uk/passengers/on-board/disruptive-passengers/
