Australia's Jetstar disruptive passengers may face lifetime ban

Australia's Jetstar may ban and charge a man and a woman who fought violently during an early morning service owing to a dispute stemming from a reclined seat, local media reported on Friday.

A Jetstar spokesperson told Xinhua that the airline was conducting a review with a view of banning both passengers travelling with the airline in the future, adding that the length of the ban would be determined once investigation was complete.

The brawl broke out on the business class cabin of Jetstar's JQ33 flight from Phuket in Thailand to Sydney on Wednesday morning.

News Corp reported the fight was so bad that other passengers had to step in to break it up.

The Australian Federal Police was called in to investigate the matter and investigations are currently ongoing on what sparked the mid-flight brawl.

News Corp quoted an unnamed man on board the flight as saying that a reclined seat issue may have triggered the fight but a Jetstar spokesman refused to confirm on the circumstances.

"Our crew on board acted quickly and the customers were separated for the remainder of the flight," the Jetstar spokesperson said.

"We don't tolerate disruptive behavior by passengers on our flights."

A police spokeswoman confirmed that its officers had responded to a request from Jetstar at Sydney Airport on Thursday afternoon.

"A 27-year-old man and 42-year-old woman were escorted from a flight arriving from Phuket," the spokeswoman said.

It remains unclear whether alcohol was a factor in the incident.

In July, a Jetstar flight from Sydney to Phuket was forced to divert to Bali, Indonesia after a wild drunken brawl involving six men took place.

All men involved in that brawl have been banned from Jetstar and its parent company Qantas indefinitely.

The International Air Transport Association has recently revealed a global increase in "unruly passenger incidents" and has called for a collaboration between airlines and airports to address the issue. Endit