Qantas Flight Diverted After Unruly Passenger Demands to Smoke and Bites Flight Attendant

Sydney, May 17 (AFP) - A Qantas flight to the United States was forced to divert due to a disruptive passenger, who local media reported had bitten a flight attendant. The flight, which departed from Melbourne, Australia on the 15th, originally bound for Dallas, USA, made an unscheduled stop in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, due to the chaos caused by the passenger. The man was subdued by other passengers. Media outlets, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), reported that he also bit a Qantas employee. After the plane landed, the man was handed over to local authorities and has been banned from flying with Qantas for life. A Qantas spokesperson told AFP today, "The safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for disruptive or threatening behavior on our aircraft." The Guardian reported that footage uploaded to social media by comedian Mike Goldstein showed a man in a heated argument with crew members, repeatedly telling them to "get away" when they asked him to move to the back of the cabin. In the footage, the man is seen standing in the aisle, appearing unsteady and slurring his words, and telling a flight attendant he wanted to "go out for a smoke." The video does not show the alleged biting incident.