Latest news with #TerryLawrance
India Today
5 days ago
- India Today
Mid-air brawl forces Cancun-London flight to make emergency landing in US
A TUI Airways flight from Cancun to London was forced to make an emergency landing in the United States earlier this week after a mid-air brawl broke out between two passengers. Their fellow passengers alleged that the brawling flyers, reportedly a couple, were 'smoking in the toilet'.Flight BY49, which was headed to London's Gatwick Airport, diverted to Bangor International Airport in Maine around 9.30 pm local time on Tuesday, according to the New York Post. The incident left the aircraft passengers stranded for over 17 BBC reported that the altercation occurred between two passengers. Audio recordings accessed by the BBC captured the pilot informing air traffic control: 'Cockpit is secure and there are two passengers fighting, and the crew has pretty much got them under control.' A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told the BBC that officers removed both individuals from the aircraft upon arrival. 'Although no criminal charges were filed, CBP processed the two subjects for expedited removal,' the spokesperson clarified that the situation involved a foreign-to-foreign flight that diverted due to an in-flight altercation between two SHARES ORDEALWhile passengers were initially informed that the flight would resume once paperwork was completed, the passengers were forced to wait longer than prepared. British passenger Terry Lawrance, 66, told Southwest News Service about the moments when the chaos took place which left all the passengers on board stranded for over 17 hours."Everybody was fed three hours later, around the border with Canada and he came on to let us know that the plane was being diverted to Bangor, Maine," recounted about the couple who disrupted the flight, Lawrence said,'They were obviously drunk, and he basically assaulted his partner."Lawrence said that travellers were left on board for another five hours before being moved to what he described as a cramped, military-style lounge. "It was like a warzone in a lounge, rows and rows of beds. All our luggage was still on the plane while we waited."Due to the delay, the original flight crew surpassed their legal working hours, rendering them unable to continue. A replacement crew had to be flown in from the UK, extending the passengers' wait until 3 pm the next day—17 and a half hours after the emergency passengers eventually arrived safely in London, but the ordeal sparked widespread MEDIA REACTSOn social media, users called for strict penalties against the couple responsible, with some suggesting they should be held financially liable for the costs incurred by the airline and inconvenienced passengers.'Did the smokers get arrested? Will they pay for the fuel and expenses?' one user asked. Another suggested the TSA should ban cigarettes questioned the airline's response, with one commenter writing, 'They should've arrested them at the gate—not grounded the entire plane.'- Ends
NDTV
5 days ago
- NDTV
Passengers Stranded For 17 Hours After Couple Caught Smoking In Flight Bathroom Mid-Air
A passenger plane in the US was stranded for over 17 hours earlier this week after a couple were caught smoking in the bathroom mid-flight. On Tuesday (Jul 8), TUI Airways flight BY49, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, took off from Cancun, Mexico, but had to be diverted to Bangor International Airport in Maine, according to a report in New York Post. The plane landed at the airport at 9:30 pm local time. The couple smoking in the restroom were believed to be drunk and taken away, while the remaining passengers were told that the plane would take off as soon as the required paperwork was over. However, British passenger Terry Lawrance, 66, revealed that the passengers were forced to sit for another five hours. The original flight crew ended up not being able to continue as they would have exceeded their legal working hours. As a result, a relief flight had to be dispatched from the UK to the US to ferry them to their destination. The situation turned pear-shaped from here as passengers were stuffed in a cramped lounge, which Mr Lawrence said was the military airbase section of the airport. "It was like free-for-all for vultures. It was like a warzone in a lounge, rows and rows of beds," said Mr Lawrence. "All our luggage was still on the plane whilst we waited," he added. It wasn't until 3 pm the next day that they finally departed, a harrowing 17 and a half hours since they'd touched down in Maine. Thankfully, all the passengers arrived safely in London. Social media reacts Reacting to the troubles faced by the passengers, social media users urged the authorities to take strict action against the couple, while others questioned if the pilots could have reacted differently. "Did the smokers get arrested? Will they be made to pay for the fuel and other expenses incurred by the airline? Will they have to compensate the passengers who missed their connections?" said one user, while another added: "TSA should add cigarettes to the confiscation list." A third commented: "They should've chastised them, and have them arrested at the gate. Not ground the whole plane. Back in the day people chain-smoked on planes."
NDTV
5 days ago
- NDTV
"Everyone Was Fed Up": Passengers Stuck For 17 Hours As Couple Smokes On Flight
A "disruptive" couple found smoking on a plane forced the captain to divert the flight, leaving passengers stranded in a "warzone" at a Maine airport for more than 17 hours earlier this week. Flight BY49 of TUI Airways left Cancun, Mexico, on July 8 for London Gatwick. Around an hour into the flight, a couple was found smoking cigarettes in the lavatory. The captain warned that they would be forced to divert the flight if the behaviour persisted. Despite the stern words, the smokers continued their act. As a result, the pilot diverted the flight to Bangor International Airport in Maine around three-and-a-half hours later, close to Canadian airspace at 9:30 pm local time. Upon landing, the couple was escorted off. The original crew was unable to proceed to London because they had exceeded their lawful duty-time limit. 'Everybody was fed up,' Terry Lawrance, 66, a UK native, told Southwest News Service. Following the unexpected landing at Bangor, passengers remained seated for an additional five hours, even as the jet taxied to take departure, Mr Lawrance claimed. Due to the US immigration rules and regulations, travellers were unable to exit the terminal. They were directed to a restricted area, which was reportedly a military sector of the airport. Videos showed flyers sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder in what was described as a "warzone lounge" with makeshift airbeds set up, The New York Post reported. 'It was like free-for-all for vultures,' Mr Lawrance described their temporary shelter, before adding, 'There were rows and rows of beds—it was like a war zone in a lounge.' Passengers had to wait 12 to 15 hours to access their belongings before they were even served refreshments. TUI organised for a relief team to be flown in from the United Kingdom. The flight finally took off from Bangor at 3 pm local time on July 9, more than 17 hours after it landed in Maine. They acknowledged that the diversion was required for safety after "disruptive" behaviour occurred on board, as per PEOPLE.
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
Flyers stranded at airport for 17 hours due to smoking bozos
Their dreams of a smooth flight went up in smoke. Passengers were stranded in a 'warzone' at a Maine airport for over 17 hours after their flight was diverted due to a pair of butt-huffing bozos puffing cigarettes on board. 3 'It was like a warzone in a lounge — rows and rows of beds,' passenger Terry Lawrance said while painting the dismal scene in Bangor, Maine (pictured). Terry Lawrance / SWNS Advertisement 'Everybody was fed up,' UK native Terry Lawrance, 66, told Southwest News Service of the unplanned layover, which occurred July 8 on a TUI Airways flight from Cancun, Mexico, to London, UK. The aircraft had been flying for about an hour when the pilot came on the intercom and announced that two passengers had been 'smoking in the toilet' and that he'd have to make an unscheduled landing if they persisted, Lawrance recalled. Unfortunately, the pair refused to desist, prompting the captain to put his money where his mouth was. Advertisement 'About three hours later, around the border with Canada and he came on to let us know that the plane was being diverted to Bangor, Maine,' recounted Lawrance. Tracking data on Flightradar24 depicts the plane turning back towards Maine, right after entering Canadian airspace. 3 The passengers continued smoking despite a warning from the pilot. Evgenia Parajanian – They landed around 9:30 p.m. that evening, after which the two smokers were escorted off the plane. 'They were obviously drunk, and he basically assaulted his partner,' recalled Lawrance. Advertisement The pilot said they'd be on their way after some paperwork was done, not knowing that their short pitstop would turn into the layover from hell. 'We were sat on the plane on the ground for five hours — the plane started taxing again and we thought 'great' and then they said there was a problem with flight plan, and we have to get off,' he said. 'Next thing, we're not going anywhere.' 3 'It was like free-for-all for vultures,' said Lawrance (pictured). Terry Lawrance / SWNS According to Lawrance, the original crew had to deplane as they couldn't work the rest of the leg back to Gatwick as they'd be exceeding their legal working hours. Advertisement As a result, a relief flight had to be dispatched from the UK to the US to ferry them to their destination. That's when 'it all went pear-shaped,' the traveler recalled. The passengers subsequently had to disembark and stay in a cramped lounge — which Lawrance believed was the military airbase section of the airport — while waiting for the relief flight to arrive. 'It was like free-for-all for vultures,' Lawrance said, describing their temporary digs. 'It was like a warzone in a lounge — rows and rows of beds.' He added, 'All our luggage was still on the plane whilst we waited.' Accompanying footage shows the stranded passengers lying side by side on mattresses like a scene out of a refugee camp. 'We were there for over 12 hours,' Lawrance lamented. 'We waited six or seven hours before we were offered a drink.' Advertisement It wasn't until 3 p.m. the next day that they finally departed — a harrowing 17 and a half hours since they'd touched down in Maine. Thankfully, all the passengers arrived safely in London.
Int'l Business Times
6 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
'It Was Like a Warzone': Mid-flight Bathroom Misconduct Leaves Passengers Stranded for Hours
A London-bound flight from Cancun turned into a 17-hour travel nightmare after two passengers allegedly smoked in the airplane bathroom, forcing the pilot to divert to the US. Terry Lawrance, 66, who was on the TUI flight to London Gatwick, described scenes of frustration and exhaustion as stranded travelers were eventually kept overnight at Bangor International Airport in Maine. "After an hour the captain came on and said someone had been smoking in the toilet — he read the riot act and said if it continues, we'd have to divert," Lawrance told the Mirror. Despite the warning, the flight was eventually rerouted after another three and a half hours in the air. The accused couple was escorted off the plane. "They were obviously drunk," Lawrance said. Passengers were stuck onboard for an additional five hours after landing as paperwork was handled, only to be told the crew had run out of legally permitted working hours. A new crew had to be flown in from the UK, leaving weary travelers camped out on makeshift airbeds in what Lawrance described as "like a warzone in a lounge," with "rows and rows of beds." "We were there for over 12 was fed up," he said. "It was like a free-for-all for vultures." The relief flight eventually departed the next day, with all passengers now safely home. TUI declined to comment on the incident. Originally published on Latin Times
