Drunk Brit jailed for jet rampage
She gets 20 days and faces £10,000 bill Rugby star wades in to aid flight crew
A WOMAN whose drunken rampage on a holiday flight to Mexico forced the pilot to divert to Canada has been locked up for 20 days.
Bridget Hanley, 34, is said to have downed gin, champagne and wine before “kicking off big time”.
She was restrained by an ex-Rugby League player and an off-duty cop after lunging at a passenger and a flight attendant as the Boeing 787 flew above the Atlantic.
When she finishes her stint in a Canadian jail the mum-of-two, reported to have been travelling with her partner, faces a damages bill of up to £10,000 from the airline.
Before she was sentenced, a court heard “unruly” Hanley was suspected of drinking before boarding the plane. Holidaymakers rushed to help flight crew after she began became “aggressive and arrogant” when the passenger in front asked her to stop slamming her seat tray up and down. According to Canadian prosecutor Julie Roy she replied: “Shut up, ugly face. Who are you to tell me what to do?” before threatening to throw the passenger out of the plane. Crew tried to calm her but she kept screaming. The captain on Monday’s TUI flight from Manchester to Cancun is said to have intervened to ensure Hanley was in a seatbelt but she refused to cooperate. He then decided divert the jet to Quebec city. Former Leeds Rhinos and Halifax player Luke Ambler, flying on holiday with his brother, said: “She was kicking off big time.” Speaking after his flight finally arrived in Mexico, the Irish international, who now runs a mental health campaign, added: “Having worked in prisons for the last six months and knowing a variety of methods to help calm people down, I offered my assistance to flight staff.
“They did an amazing job but seemed frustrated and flustered.”
Luke, 27, and the offduty officer sat with Hanley, from Blackley, north Manchester, until the plane landed and police arrived.
She appeared in court the next morning and admitted disturbing the peace, mischief and jeopardising the safety of an aircraft.
Hanley’s partner was in court but did not react when she was led to the cells in tears. A police spokesman confirmed the sentence and said TUI intends to file a civil suit against Hanley for damages. Minimum cost of diverting a transAtlantic jet is £2,000 and airlines have claimed up to £10,000.
A statement from police after the incident read: “This individual was under the influence of alcohol and involved in an altercation with another passenger as well as a flight crew member. However no one was injured.”
A TUI spokesman confirmed the flight arrived in Cancun later that day, apologised for the inconvenience and said they had zero tolerance “on behaviour of this kind.”