A video has gone viral after showing Australian police escorting a passenger off a flight for lighting a cigarette on the plane.
Sinead Merrett posted the clip to video platform TikTok, saying “This guys thinks a delayed flight means he can light a dart on the plane. No bali vacay for you now.”
When commenters seemed confused, she clarified: “Lighting a dart is Aussie slang for lighting a cigarette.”
The Jetstar plane, bound for Bali, was delayed on the runway at Melbourne’s airport for over four hours, according to passengers.
Fellow customers on the Jetstar flight JQ1035 were unimpressed when the man’s decision to light a cigarette meant that the plane was delayed even longer.
The flight eventually took off after the man was removed and landed at its destination, Bali’s Denpasar Airport, at 12:51am on Wednesday – almost 13 hours after passengers had boarded.
In a follow-up comment, Ms Merrett wrote “Could only happen on a Bali flight doll”.
Another passenger commented on the video saying, “Wasn’t that a delight……sitting on that plane for 11 hours. Thank god we got to Bali however.”
The typical flight time for a Melbourne to Bali service is six hours 15 minutes.
TikTok user Geoff Woodgate commented: “Some of us old ex smokers can remember when the whole back of the plane was a smokers area. Never bothered anyone.”
Others complained about similar behaviour, with one writing: “For Christ’s sakes. Wear a nicotine patch if you know you smoke and can’t last without punching a dart.”
A Jetstar spokesperson told The Independent that a passenger was “escorted off a flight in Melbourne after they lit a cigarette on board the aircraft prior to departure.”
They went on: “Smoking, vaping or the use of electronic cigarettes is not permitted on any Jetstar aircraft, in Australian airport terminals or on the tarmac.”
This is not the first incident of an air passenger being kicked off a plane for smoking.
In 2019 man was given a lifetime ban on Spirit Airlines flights after he vaped on board a plane and set off the smoke alarm.
The passenger was flying from Detroit to New Orleans when a flight attendant saw him take a drag on an e-cigarette before exhaling into his bag.
