A couple’s quarrel on board a recent EVA Air flight ended up in a flight diversion, police involvement, and the pair being kicked off the flight.
Flight BR 068 was enroute to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on September 30, 2023.
The dramatic episode began five hours into the flight, when the couple started arguing. In the middle of the altercation, the woman stormed off from the economy cabin and went to sit in the premium economy section.
However, she refused to pay for the upgrade and both her and her partner continued to argue and be disruptive during the flight. A spokesperson for EVA Air told The New York Post that the male passenger, who was already behaving in a “disorderly” manner, started smoking an e-cigarette inside the cabin.
The couple’s rowdy behavior continued, until the cabin crew, with the help of eight other passengers, managed to restrain them both.
Soon after, the pilot announced that the flight would have to divert to Vienna International Airport (VIE) so that the couple could be removed.
Airport police escorted the couple out of the flight. The drama, however, did not end there.
Once they were on the tarmac, the couple’s spat carried on, and to the astonishment of fellow passengers the woman was seen throwing dollar bills worth £5,000 ($6,000) to the man.
One of the passengers onboard the flight was able to capture the dramatic moment when bills can be seen flying in the air, before being picked up by police officers.
Passengers can be heard gasping when the woman threw away cash, with the person filming the video saying, “That’s the £5,000 she said she had in her bag.”
Other passengers who witnessed the events told various media outlets that the couple kept arguing about money and that the woman stressed at least twice that she had that amount of money in her handbag.
The flight eventually continued on to Bangkok without the couple. It is still not known whether the pair faced criminal charges.