Airline Passenger Abuses Co-Travelers After Downing Half Bottle Of Vodka

An EasyJet passenger downed half bottle of vodka and insulted women on board a flight from Budapest to Manchester on Sept. 9.

The Manchester Magistrate's Court heard Wednesday that when 39-year-old Martins Erdmanis boarded the flight, he fell to the floor. As he proceeded to his seat, Erdmanis “stumbled everywhere” and bumped into people. Upon settling down, the passenger opened a bottle of Grey Goose vodka and poured it into orange cartons. The court heard that the man was drinking alcohol before boarding the flight and also smelt of it.

The passenger then "befriended another person on the aircraft who appeared to be drunk as well." The duo started "making a number of comments about females on board." Unhappy with the comments the duo was making, a couple seated beside them complained to the staff after which he "was asked to place the bottle of vodka in the overhead compartment." However, he did not comply and instead shouted and verbally abused the couple.

Prosecutor Steven Woodman said, "The cabin crew asked the pair if they were ok and they were moved to another part of the plane. The passenger said she welled up because she was so angry and frustrated at having to put up with that behavior. The cabin crew asked the pilot to call for the police on arrival at Manchester Airport."

Both the men were arrested at the airport. During interrogation, Erdmanis admitted to having half a bottle of vodka but said he was unaware that being drunk on a flight was an offense

Peter Broderick, Erdmanis’s defense lawyer, said, “This was an unsavory incident and it is not a nice thing for sober passengers to be around. He was in Budapest with his friends to see a pop concert. He was drunk when he got on the plane and had a bottle of vodka which he was drinking on the plane. To his credit he is a gentleman with no previous criminal record. I would submit that the unsavory comments were made by the other party and not this defendant."

Erdmanis pleaded guilty to “entering an aircraft when drunk/being drunk in an aircraft” and was handed a two-month community order.