Most of us, if we plan on flying hungry, take a peek at the in-flight meals on offer before we board. Very few of us, upon finding out that they’ve run out of our preferred item mid-flight, abuse the flight crew, demand to see the captain and end up being fined £230.
But that is what Ronald James, 68, did on his recent flight on air lines TUI. When he was told that they were out of the bacon rolls he wanted, he shouted at the flight crew “poked them with his finger,” brought a flight attendant to tears and demanded to see the captain.
While James freely admits that his behavior was disorderly and abusive, he says he had a reason for being so upset: he had promised the bacon roll to his granddaughter, who was flying with him.
Mr James, who represented himself during the case, told the magistrates: “We had no breakfast, my granddaughter had been pushing for something to eat, and I said wait until we are on the plane.” He did buy beef burgers but said that they were “dried out” and that the refund he was given “wasn’t enough.”
He argued that the air lines should have warned passengers at check-in that there would be “no hot food” on this flight. “I was not a happy customer – I wish I had not been on the plane and I wish it had not run out of food.”
The judge didn’t agree that not being a “happy customer” warranted his behavior and ordered him to pay £230 including 50 to each of the flight attendants he abused.
To read more on this story, go to BBC.com
[Image Source: Alarmy]
