Latest news with #stagDo
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Telegraph
The worst flights I've ever worked
At the back of the plane, the rival stags lunged at each other, their aggression fuelled by one-litre bottles of duty-free alcohol, suspected drug use in the toilets, and the whoops of their lairy mates. Clutching the phone receiver as she repeated her call for urgent assistance from the cockpit, Kristina Galvydyte, 32, watched as her tiny fellow stewardess plunged between the men in a bid to break them up. 'It was just absolute chaos, they were screaming – imagine a night out in any British town at midnight on a Friday,' she says. 'It was like that.' Only this wasn't some high street, it was 30,000ft in the air on a flight packed with passengers somewhere between Edinburgh and Alicante. There were three stag groups on board – and just four stewardesses. One group had become verbally abusive after draining their duty-free faster than the crew could confiscate it (it's prohibited to open onboard). The second group took offence, sparking a confrontation. 'We were absolutely outnumbered,' says Galvydyte. Thankfully, her colleague's brave intervention worked – though the pandemonium continued until police boarded after landing. 'It was the worst flight I ever had,' she confirms. However, competition for that particular title is fierce. On another flight, she was 'asked to strip' by a drunken passenger; on a different occasion, a woman who'd mixed beer with medication projectile vomited on her. More tragically, she recalls colleagues working a flight where a passenger overdosed on cocaine. 'Other passengers were complaining to the crew about them,' she says. 'That's when they decided to get rid of the evidence.' She pauses, then explains how traumatised one former colleague still is. 'The whole crew was… they all had compassionate leave.' Galvydyte cuts a small figure but is no-nonsense – she makes it clear she's not easily intimidated. Yet she quit her job as a stewardess for a British-based airline (which she prefers not to name) three years ago, and says a friend still in the industry is now desperate to leave 'because of the behaviour of passengers'. Could it be even worse now? 'That's correct,' she says curtly, her disgust unmistakable. This month, Ryanair announced it would fine passengers removed from flights due to their behaviour a 'minimum' of £500 – and will continue to pursue civil damages. It's the latest move by Europe's largest airline to address an escalating, industry-wide problem. Chief executive Michael O'Leary has already called for a two-drink limit to be enforced at airports, telling The Telegraph last year: 'We don't want to begrudge people having a drink. But we don't allow people to drink-drive, yet we keep putting them up in aircraft at 33,000 feet.' A stewardess for six years, Galvydyte points to destinations such as party island Ibiza – where some airlines now operate a 'dry bar' – as well as Turkey and the Canary Islands, especially Tenerife, as hotspots for 'horrendous' flights. But these days, she says, any journey can take a turn. While she believes British passengers are the worst offenders, it's not just men who become aggressive. Women do too. 'They target your appearance, your accent – they observe you. It was a woman who made me cry.' She recalls that the middle-aged culprit was part of a hen do. Taking over the back of the plane, the group were loud and sweary, repeatedly shouting the 'B-word' – 'b------ on tour,' she remembers. 'I was like, 'Hey, you can't swear like that. This is a family-friendly flight…'' – but it continued. As passengers waited to disembark, the woman cornered her. 'She started telling me I was really bad at my job, that I shouldn't be working here, that I should just quit. And… really personal insults,' Galvydyte recalls. Once they left, she broke down in tears. Another stewardess tells me she was punched by a female passenger in her 50s. Still in the job after more than two decades with a British-based airline, she's asked to remain anonymous. 'She was drunk, and I'd told her I wasn't serving any more alcohol. But then she made friends with others in the row, and they gave her some,' she recalls. 'Her behaviour got more aggressive, so I told her it wasn't acceptable – and she just launched into a tirade, calling me a c---. 'We were coming in to land, and I think I asked her to sit down… and then she just stood up and punched me.' The stewardess saw it coming and turned so her face was narrowly missed – the blow landed on her shoulder instead. She and her colleagues managed to get the woman back into her seat. 'They had to bring a wheelchair because she was so leathered, she couldn't walk,' she says. Of course, there are the stereotypical lads, too. One group of young men had managed to drink so much before boarding that one vomited violently before departure and was escorted off. 'He couldn't speak, he could barely walk, he couldn't even hold his head up… I don't know how they'd got him onto the aircraft,' she says. Once in the air, two others vomited all over themselves, too. But it could just as easily be middle-aged men. 'You go to a destination like Portugal where you get groups of golfers, there is a kind of testosterone-fuelled, alcohol-induced mentality… I've had to deal with passengers in their 50s who have behaved like schoolchildren,' she says. Rowing couples also add to the charged cocktail of booze, altitude and tension. On one flight, she had to approach a 'middle-class' couple in their 40s who were loudly arguing. Fearing the woman was vulnerable, she and her colleagues coaxed her to move – only for the aggression to turn on them. 'She was saying we were flirting with her husband, that we wanted to get him on his own [so] we could get his number,' she says. Another couple's drunken row escalated into a punch-up with a father seated in front. 'The language had become unacceptable and the father turned around and said, 'You need to shut up,'' she describes. 'And within minutes you've got arguing, somebody throws a punch.' She explains how surrounding passengers often get involved. In this case, the father hit the man, and she was forced to step between them. The whole atmosphere is a tinderbox which can be sparked by as little as a reclining seat, or the yank if someone pulls on the chair in front as they stand. She explains while aeroplane doors can never be opened during flights due to air pressure, cabins are a dangerous environment in the wrong hands due to their confinement and heavy objects onboard, such as fire extinguishers and oxygen cylinders. 'Since Covid, [the bad behaviour has] stepped up a level,' she says. 'I just think people feel more entitled. Then you put them on an aircraft where they feel out of control; they're in a confined space, they're sitting around people they don't know, and there's also alcohol involved and I think [more] people are taking medication, whether prescribed or not prescribed.' The mix is lethal. While she acknowledges that alcohol consumption at airports is a problem, she believes the drinks served onboard are too large. 'The measures we serve are double measures,' she explains. Although crew can refuse service, it's a 'double-edged sword' because, at some airlines, cabin crew earn commission from sales. Galvydyte adds that the miniatures bought in duty-free are particularly tricky to confiscate, as they replicate the drinks served onboard. Former British Airways captain Nick Eades, who retired two years ago, explains that when he started out, learning to restrain a passenger was never part of training. 'But in the last few years of my career we were actually taught once a year how to use restraining kits,' he says. Only the captain can authorise their use, and only after a verbal and written warning. 'It's almost like the cabin crew have become sort of policemen,' he adds. 'Handcuffs can only be used on the authorisation of the captain once the aircraft has actually started to move on its own power, so once you taxi it away from the terminal […] You don't want to do it.' In the later stages of his career, he refused entry to passengers more frequently and admits that as long as there were three pilots – meaning two could remain in the cockpit – on some occasions he 'walked to the passenger's seat to try and quell a problem'. Whether O'Leary's new measure will make a difference is doubtful, given disruptive passengers already face hefty fines, possible criminal charges, or even prison sentences. Those caught drunk on an aircraft can be fined up to £5,000 and face up to two years in prison. If charged with endangering an aircraft, they could face up to five years behind bars. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says disruptive passengers who cause a diversion could be fined more than £10,000. The anonymous stewardess describes how police presence at destination airports has become a regular occurrence. In fact, officers appearing on the air bridge before take-off as a deterrent is now more common. Yet, as we head into peak summertime, little seems to be changing. In recent weeks alone, reports have highlighted disturbing cases, including video of an easyJet flight to Ibiza overrun by raucous Britons dubbed 'English animals' by a Spanish passenger, and a passenger escorted off a flight from Gran Canaria to Birmingham for allegedly punching crew. The stewardess is braced, she admits. 'We get so used to it,' she says, sounding numb. 'To me, that's just part of my working life.'
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Arsenal star David Raya dresses as an air stewardess and serves passengers for his Las Vegas stag do after proposing to his model fiancee last year
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya let his hair down for his stag do by dressing as an air stewardess and serving passengers on a flight to Las Vegas. Raya proposed to his model fiancee Tatiana Trouboul in October, but has had to wait until the end of the season for his bachelor party. With the campaign now over following Spain's Nations League final defeat by Portugal on Sunday, Raya is free to celebrate with his friends, and they pulled out all the stops as they headed Stateside. The 29-year-old was happy to wear an air stewardess outfit and he was pictured with a beaming smile as he handed over cookies to passengers during their flight to Vegas. Raya was joined by his brother Oscar and Spanish comedian Tomas Garcia Serrano. Several LaLiga footballers also made the trip, including Getafe's Diego Rico Salguero as well as Rayo Vallecano pair Adri Embarba and Unai Lopez. The group appeared in good spirits as they posed for a photo once they touched down in Vegas, with Raya also sharing photos from the famous Sin City strip. Snaps were also posted online of Raya posing in a swimming pool alongside his friends. Bright sunshine greeted Raya and Co as the Arsenal star kicked back and relaxed after a long, hard season. Raya and Trouboul's wedding date is currently unknown. The couple have been together since 2021, but did not go public with their relationship until the following year. Trouboul hails from Barcelona, but now lives in London with Raya, having moved her life across to the UK to support the Arsenal shot-stopper. Raya got down on one knee last year at a candlelit dinner, and subsequently posted photos of the evening shortly before Arsenal faced Bournemouth in the Premier League. The Gunners went on to lose that match 2-0, but Raya enjoyed another strong season at Arsenal as he finished as the Premier League Golden Glove winner alongside Nottingham Forest's Matz Sels. Raya now has some time off to enjoy his stag do and spend more time with Trouboul ahead of returning to pre-season training with Arsenal next month. He could face increased pressure for his place next season, with Arsenal set to bring in Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea. However, he is still likely to remain Mikel Arteta's No 1 for now after making that spot his own over the last two seasons.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Arsenal star David Raya dresses as an air stewardess and serves passengers in hilarious pics from Las Vegas stag do
ARSENAL ace David Raya jetted off to Las Vegas for his stag do with close friends. Raya, 29, helped the Gunners finish second in the Premier League with some solid performances between the sticks that also contributed to his team's run to the Champions League semi-finals. 8 8 8 8 But now the goalkeeper is gearing up for his wedding with model fiancee Tatiana Trouboul. The Spain international proposed to Tatiana in October of last year and they are now set to marry. And the Spain international has kicked off the wedding preparations with a bachelor party in Sin City. Raya was joined by his brother Oscar as well as Spanish comedian Tomas Garcia Serrano. A number of footballers also linked up with them including Getafe's Diego Rico Salguero as well as Rayo Vallecano's Adri Embarba and Unai Lopez. All of them took to the streets of Vegas wearing Arsenal gear and taking group photos. But before making it to the US, Raya was pictured dressed as an air stewardess during the flight. The keeper appeared to be serving other passengers cookies on board the aircraft. Tatiana and Raya have been together since 2021 but left it until June 2022 to go public with their relationship. The model heralds from Barcelona but has since moved her life to London to be alongside Raya. Arsenal star David Raya cosies up to model fiancee on yacht as she leaves little to imagination in see-through tights She previously divided her time between the capital and Spain. 8 8 8 8
The Independent
04-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Greg Monks: ‘Body found' in search for British man who went missing on stag do in Portugal
A body has been found in Portugal during the search for missing Scottish tourist Greg Monks, according to a report. The body was seen at the bottom of a ravine 'a long way from the spot where he was last seen', according to Portuguese daily newspaper Correi da Manha. Portugal's Policia Judiciara are currently at the scene, according to the outlet. The 38-year-old Glaswegian went missing last Wednesday after travelling to Albufeira with his friends for a stag do. Police have yet to comment and the body has not been formally identified. Correi da Manha reports that all scenarios are open and the possibility of an accident has not been ruled out. Mr Monks told his friends he was heading back to his holiday apartment after drinking on a night out, according to The Sun. The last official sighting of him was at 3:27am on Wednesday 28 May near Cerro de Aguia area. His sister Jillian, told Sky News after his disappearance: "We were contacted on Wednesday afternoon asking if there was any way we could track his phone because he hadn't come home from the night before. "This immediately raised alarm bells. It's just not like him. He wouldn't normally do something like this.' When the family arrived in Albufeira, police told them they had seen Mr Monks on CCTV footage twice around the residential area, Jillian said. The 38-year-old had last been seen in an area with a lot of 'rough terrain', including rocky outcrops and cliffs. It was more than an hours walk from the Albufeira Strip, where he is believed to have left his friends. "He deserves to be found, he deserves to be looked for, we need him home. "He's a big part of our family, and it's just unimaginable if he's just lying somewhere and we can't find him." "As a family, we're worried sick," his other sister, Carlyn, said. "It's just so unlike him, but myself and Jillian are just trying to hold each other up back home. Mr Monks is "a real family man", she said. Jillian added: "I know that if he could phone us or reach out to us, he would, he wouldn't put us through this".
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Dani Dyer's 'wild' fiancé Jarrod Bowen set to jet off to major party town for his stag do under watch of her EastEnders dad Danny
Dani Dyer 's fiancé Jarrod Bowen will be jetting off to Las Vegas for his stag do as he prepares to marry the Love Island star. The daughter of EastEnders star Danny Dyer, 28, who has been dating West Ham footballer Jarrod, also 28, since 2021, will tie the knot next Saturday. After Dani's raucous hen party last month, it is now Jarrod's turn as he will fly to Sin City for a boozy bash after playing his final West Ham game on Sunday. Jarrod will fly out to Vegas on Monday and return on Thursday, a risky choice with the wedding just two days later. However Dani's 'hardman' actor dad Danny will also be flying out to the US for the stag trip so intends to be on hand to keep him Jarrod check. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. A source told The Sun: 'Jarrod plays his final game of the season for West Ham on Sunday and will then fly to Vegas with the boys the following morning. 'It's going to be a typical lads trip but Danny will be on hand to keep an eye on things so they don't get out of hand — but he's such a wild one himself, it's more likely Jarrod will be keeping an eye on him. 'Dani has already warned she doesn't want to hear of any strippers being involved.' It comes weeks after Dani downed shots of Tequila Rose and danced the night away at her own hen do ahead of marrying the footballer. After previously teasing a glimpse of the celebrations, Dani has now shared a slew of snaps of her partying with her pals to Instagram. She looked sensational in a strapless white mini dress which boasted a corset mesh top with pearl detailing and a ruched skirt, while all her guests wore black. Dani added a pair of long mesh pearl sleeves which were embroidered with the words 'To be Bowen' as she sipped Aperol Spritz and her her hair down. The daughter of Danny 's lavish bash was decorated with fairy lights and her name in huge LED letter son the dance floor while guests were treated to 'Until Death Do Us Part' desserts. She posed for playful snaps which donning a pair of heart shaped shades and captioned the post: 'The best night ever'. Dani was seen in one clip singing and dancing with Love Island bestie Georgia Steel and her lookalike little sister Sunny. Georgia looked incredible as she showed off her figure in a black backless bodysuit and matching maxi skirt. Meanwhile Sunny dressed to impress in a black maxi dress as she posed in front of the photo wall. It comes after Dani has admitted her fears over her fiancé Jarrod 's upcoming stag do, with her dad Danny joking that there will be strippers. Discussing the plans for the hen and stag parties as the big day draws closer, the daughter and father duo butted heads over one racy topic. Explaining the timeline on their Live And Let Dyers podcast, Dani explained: 'I literally get back from my Hen on the Monday and then I get married on the Saturday. And if you can go, Jarod gets back Thursday and then married Saturday.' That's when Danny cheered and shouted out: 'Strippers!,' much to his daughter's dismay. 'No, you're not,' insisted Dani, who went on to explain that at a different Hen she attended, they had a butler in the buff. Dani said: 'We had to draw him, we had to draw the naked man. It's different, it's so different. I don't care.' Not giving in, Danny quipped: 'It's sexism this, this is sexism at it's height ladies and gentleman.' The former Love Island star replied: 'It's not sexist, I'm just saying he was literally standing there in his apron and then you had to draw him. Then he turns around and straddles the chair.' Danny then questioned: 'Okay so this is fine because you're a woman but God forbid a group of men, I know it seems a bit more aggressive and a bit more odd, have a stripper who's a woman. Would you rather we had the butler in the buff?' To which Dani defended it by saying: 'Women are funny, a man standing there, we're all taking the p***, all doing shots, he's pouring us champagne. If a woman stands there with her t**s out men aren't gonna sit there and draw t**s. It's so different.' 'It is, you're looking at a human form that's naked,' argued Danny, before his daughter admitted the butler had a 'great a***'. Shocked, he laughed: 'Let's just rewind a little bit. If we did have a stripper and I commented Jarrod said she had a great a*** you would be f****** fuming.'
