A ‘confused’ airline passenger has sparked an investigation after he boarded a flight without a boarding pass, leading to a five-hour delay for other passengers.
The man, believed to be aged between 18 and 25, managed to board a Jetstar aircraft at the Maroochydore Airport, on the Sunshine Coast, bound for Sydney without a ticket on Tuesday.
He had managed to pass through two security checks before boarding the plane, and was only discovered when he sat down in another passenger’s seat.
The man claimed he had forgotten his boarding pass outside of the plane when asked by a flight attendant.
The incident resulted in passengers having to go through security again after sitting on the plane for 45 minutes, leading to a near five-hour delay before it eventually took off.
A man has caused a near five-hour delay after boarding a Jetstar aircraft (pictured) without a boarding pass on Tuesday and was only discovered when he sat in another passenger’s seat
A passenger, who wished to stay anonymous, told the Courier Mail the man seemed ‘lost and confused’ before leaving the plane with the attendant ‘calmly’.
They also indicated they would be demanding compensation from Jetstar for the delays.
‘We have strict procedures to ensure all customers have a valid boarding pass for our flights and we have launched an urgent investigation into the situation,’ Jetstar said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.
‘The individual was removed from the aircraft prior to departure and all customers were re-screened as a precaution, which resulted in the flight being delayed.
‘We sincerely apologise to customers for the impact to their journey.’
The Sunshine Coast Airport’s general operations manager, Kate McCreery-Carr, said the airport follows ‘strict Australian Government regulations’ in regard to the safety of passengers.
She claimed that all security procedures were followed at the time of the incident and no weapons or dangerous goods were found on the man.
‘All passengers and members of the public are required to clear airport security prior to entering the departures hall,’ Ms McCreery-Carr said.
‘Our process includes the screening of passengers, their belongings and explosive trace detection.’
The man left the Sunshine Coast Airport (pictured) before Queensland Police could arrive, but was later identified with CCTV footage and is aiding police with ongoing investigations
A statement from the Sunshine Coast Airport states that ‘airlines manage the checking and monitoring of passengers when boarding their aircraft’.
‘Sunshine Coast Airport is liaising with Jetstar regarding the incident,’ the statement reads.
Queensland Police attended to the airport at about 3:30pm, however the man had already left the airport by that time.
They were able to identify the man with the help of CCTV, and he is now aiding with ongoing investigations.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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