A prosecco guzzling woman kicked off on a TUI flight and called a cabin crew member a ‘p*ff’ because she was not allowed to charge her phone on takeoff.
The incident happened on the flight from Almeria, Spain, to Manchester, last October, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Kesley Hughes, 32, was also told to end a FaceTime call and said the decision by airline staff was ‘f***ing ridiculous’.
Prosecutor Nick Roxborough said when Hughes was told to fasten her seatbelt on the flight she said ‘I can’t fasten it, I’m fat.’
As the flight was about to take off, she started screaming and shouting and worrying the other passengers.
Hughes vaped with no care in the world and also took massive swigs out of a bottle of prosecco.
She shouted ‘sausage’ at a male air steward and proceeded to make a ‘bent hand’ gesture, something he believed was a reference to his sexuality.
The pilot gave staff permission to use the restraint kit on the unruly woman but it wasn’t used.
When the flight landed in Manchester she was detained by police for her unruly actions.
The male air steward told the court: ‘I have been doing my job for many years.
‘This incident has been the worst situation I have ever dealt with. I felt intimidated and threatened.’
Oliver Saddington, mitigating, said: ‘She is under no illusion that people in her position can expect to receive a custodial sentence. I am asking the court to make an exceptional consideration for her case.’
The court heard Hughes’ family arranged for her to go on holiday as she ‘needed a break’.
She suffers from depression and didn’t have her medication during the trip and attempted to self-harm.
Hughes suffers from PTSD after discovering the body of her former partner following his death.
She has five previous convictions for eight offences, including battery and assault of an emergency worker.
Judge Stephen Davies told her: ‘You ignored the pilot’s instructions about using your phone and fastening your seatbelt. You engaged in a campaign of insulting words and behaviour against the member of staff who you believed was gay.
‘Your behaviour was so bad that the aircraft staff considered either diverting the flight or using restraints on you. Fortunately – for everybody – that course of conduct was not carried out as the flight arrived safely.’
Hughes pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour; failing to obey the command of a pilot; and entering an aircraft when drunk.
She was handed a four-month sentence, suspended for a year and was ordered to complete 60 hours of unpaid work; 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirements; and go on a 90-day alcohol treatment programme.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
