Woman ejected from plane

A woman was ejected from an Air New Zealand plane for being drunk and abusive

Flight crews can expect a rise in unruly passengers as air travel becomes more popular, says a union official, after a drunk Hastings woman was ejected from an Air New Zealand plane.

Police said the flight from Auckland to Napier early this month had not yet left the tarmac when Demelza Matenga, 26, began laughing during the crew's safety briefing and distracting other passengers.

Matenga had been drinking and was "clearly intoxicated", according to a summary of facts. She also refused to stow her hand luggage beneath the seat in front of her, as the plane prepared for take-off on the evening of July 3.

Matenga began "yelling abuse" at the cabin crew and her behaviour was so unruly the plane returned to the terminal.

A police officer came on to the plane and removed her. While police tried to calm her on the tarmac, she was "gesticulating" to the passengers on the plane in an obscene way. After she was arrested and taken inside the airport, she spat at a police constable. In the Hastings District Court on Tuesday, Matenga pleaded guilty to charges of disorderly behaviour and assaulting police. Judge Tony Adeane sentenced her to 80 hours' community work.

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) director of organising for aviation, Strachan Crang, said the crew aboard the flight handled the situation in a "very professional manner".

"When passengers fly they must abide by the rules and I support the way the crew handled this passenger," he said.

Reported instances of disorderly passengers had increased, perhaps coinciding with an increase in overall air travel. "There are more flights being taken - there are more passengers in the air."

However, flight attendants were well-equipped to deal with those who tried to flout air regulations. "Talking to flight attendants, these things have always happened. It's a stressful time, flying."

Matenga could not be reached for comment by Hawke's Bay Today yesterday.

In May, property magnate Sir Bob Jones was ejected from an Air New Zealand flight after refusing to take instructions from cabin crew.

Told he could be moved to another seat if he was unable or unwilling to assist in an emergency, he refused to be moved and asked to be left alone, according to witnesses. Two Civil Aviation Authority staff were summoned to the plane to escort Sir Bob off it.