Passengers clap as Sir Bob escorted off flight for disobeying crew
Passengers applauded when millionaire businessman Sir Bob Jones was escorted off a flight in Auckland yesterday.
The captain told those on board the man had disobeyed instructions and it didn’t matter “how important” he was.
Jones had boarded flight NZ421 from Auckland to Wellington when crew tried to instruct him in his duties as an emergency exit row passenger.
Jones kept reading when the staff member sought to deliver a routine briefing.
He refused to be moved and asked to be left alone, said other passengers.
Singer-songwriter Lizzie Marvelly was on the flight.
“Two security officers boarded the aircraft and kind of made their way down to the middle and hauled off a passenger who looked strikingly like Bob Jones,” she said after arriving at Wellington Airport.
“And then the captain came out — after the gentleman had been escorted off the plane — just apologised and said they couldn’t accept people on planes regardless of who they were, if they didn’t comply with air crew.”
Sue Barber from Pukerua Bay said “everybody around” Sir Bob clapped when security came to remove him.
Sir Bob could not be reached for comment. He earlier declined to talk to re- porters at Wellington Airport.
An Air NZ spokeswoman confirmed Aviation Security was called to flight NZ421 to assist with a passenger who refused to follow crew instructions.
An Air NZ duty manager met him and put him on another Air NZ flight.