A drunk holidaymaker caused fear and terror in the air by shouting and swearing during a flight from Spain to Newcastle.
Tipsy April Wilson was upset as she boarded the Jet2 flight in Alicante along with 187 other passengers and cabin crew. There were repeated attempts to calm the 58-year-old; she continued to scream and curse, including at two female flight attendants.
Wilson, of Front Street, Houghton-le-Spring, was given a suspended sentence during a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court.
The court heard Wilson’s irritation and anger were primarily directed at her partner as she boarded the flight from Spain to Newcastle Airport at 11.25am on November 19 last year. The cabin crew noticed that Wilson looked upset and asked her if she was OK. It was explained at the hearing that her irritation and anger was primarily directed at her partner.
During the flight, several passengers complained about her behavior. They said she was drunk and was constantly swearing. A member of staff heard her repeatedly saying “f***”. She was asked to stop, but did not. As the cabin crew member walked away, Wilson slurred her words, “f*** her”, and when asked again to stop swearing, she replied, “What the hell are you going to do, you stupid little cow?”
The flight manager then approached her to calm her down and Wilson referred to someone who appeared to be her partner, who she said was taunting her. Wilson appeared upset and said, “You don’t f***ing understand, I need a hug,” and tried to grab the flight manager to cuddle her.
The manager made her a hot drink, but Wilson continued to swear, and when the plane landed in Newcastle, she unbuckled her seatbelt and tried to get out of her seat.
The court heard several passengers complained about her and two passengers sitting next to her were moved to other seats at the start of the flight. After Wilson got off the plane at Newcastle Airport, she was arrested.
She said she drank vodka the night before and two small bottles of wine on the flight. Mark Atkins, prosecuting, said: “She said her partner mocked her about her looks and intelligence and she screamed and swore in response and screamed and swore when cabin crew told her to calm down. She seemed remorseful.”
The first flight attendant to be verbally abused by Wilson said in a statement that she was “shaken” by what happened. She added: “I was afraid her behavior would escalate and I was terrified of what would happen next. There were 188 passengers on board, of all ages, and they were subjected to her behavior. This type of behavior is becoming increasingly common on airplanes.”
The flight manager added: “This is becoming a huge problem as people are consuming alcohol and drugs.” She said such behaviour at 35,000 feet in an enclosed space was intimidating, adding: “I thought she was going to attack me. I was worried about the other passengers, especially those around her. She was obviously very drunk.”
Wilson, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to being drunk on an airplane and was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.
Judge Gavin Doig told her: “You heard you swearing and shouting swear words repeatedly. When the cabin crew asked you to stop, you insulted those cabin crew members. You tried to attack the person in front of you, who appeared to be your partner, who you were primarily upset with at the time. Her actions also caused great anger among cabin crew and other passengers. There were clearly other issues that were troubling you.
The court heard that Wilson is now getting help for her alcohol problems and Katie Spence, defending, said: “This was completely out of character for her. Unfortunately, the people who felt her anger were the flight attendants who did not deserve to be treated like that.” She is appalled by her behaviour and has learned her lesson.