Published: Thu 11 Jul 2024 at 10:25
Leading leisure airline Jet2.com has responded to the sentencing of Emma Woolley, who has been jailed for four months after admitting entering an aircraft while drunk, smoking on an aircraft and behaving in a threatening, abusive or disorderly manner towards staff.
In January this year, the Jet2.com crew were left with no choice but to call for police assistance to offload Ms. Woolley after flying from Antalya to Leeds Bradford. This was in response to Ms. Woolley smoking in the toilet and illicitly consuming alcohol which had been purchased in duty free.
She was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week, with Judge Ray Singh saying: “I can’t avoid an immediate custodial sentence. These type of offences have to be met with a deterrent to ensure others do not behave in the way that you did.”
As Jet2.com gears up for its biggest ever summer season, the airline is using this incident to remind everyone of its industry-leading Onboard Together campaign and to highlight how serious the consequences of disruptive passenger behaviour can be.
Phil Ward, Managing Director of Jet2.com said: “This sentencing should send out a stark and sobering example to the tiny minority of people who cannot enjoy their flight responsibly. This summer we will fly millions of hardworking customers and families away to enjoy their well-deserved holidays, but sadly there are a handful of people who behave in a disruptive fashion, often fuelled by alcohol that has been purchased in duty free and is then illicitly consumed onboard. Our message to them is very simple - we take a zero tolerance approach to disruptive passenger behaviour, as do the courts – and by acting irresponsibly you run the risk of a criminal record and even a prison sentence.”
He added: “As a family friendly airline, we will not hesitate to take action against disruptive passenger behaviour. That includes issuing bans, billing disruptive customers for costs that we incur, and working with the authorities to support successful prosecutions. Ms. Woolley must now face the consequences of her behaviour and we are confident that this sentencing will send out a very clear message to others about how severe the consequences can be.”
