A passenger who inflated his life jacket during a Jetstar safety demonstration has claimed he was temporarily banned from flying with Jetstar and Qantas while the airline considers its response.
Hugh Lovett was travelling from Sydney to Adelaide on Friday night when he put on the life jacket as cabin crew demonstrated the equipment before take-off.
The safety announcement instructed passengers to place the jacket over their heads and tighten the loose strap. It also warned them to inflate it only after leaving the aircraft.
Despite the instruction, Mr Lovett pulled the cord, causing the vest to inflate around him with a loud hiss. His brother, Blake Lovett, appeared to hold back laughter before covering his face with his hand.
Mr Lovett said he had not realised the stunt breached airline rules. “I was just copying what the flight attendants were doing,” he said.
He acknowledged that the announcement had clearly told passengers not to inflate the life jacket inside the plane, adding: “I wasn’t paying attention which was silly of me.”
Police were waiting when the aircraft arrived at Adelaide Airport and escorted Mr Lovett from the plane for questioning.
“The police, who were really nice about it, asked why I did it and whether it was supposed to be a funny joke,” he said. “I told them it was a big weekend, we didn’t get much sleep and I wasn’t really thinking.”
Mr Lovett said he had since recognised the seriousness of the incident. “I thought it would be a little bit funny, but I’ve learnt now that it’s not very funny,” he said.
He added that the consequences had been “a lot bigger than I thought” and that inflating the life jacket had not been necessary.
A Jetstar spokesman said passengers were required by law to follow crew safety instructions at all times.
“We have zero tolerance for behaviour that puts the safety of customers and crew at risk,” he said.
Some social media users said they found the incident amusing, while others criticised Mr Lovett for his behaviour and the potential disruption it caused.
