Mile-High Meltdown: Flair Passengers Fined $8,000 After In-Flight Antics

Call it an expensive lesson in what not to do on an airplane.

Two passengers aboard a Flair Airlines flight to Newfoundland learned the hard way that refusing crew instructions, shouting obscenities and stripping are not exactly encouraged forms of in-flight entertainment.

As first reported by The Canadian Press, Corey Pancer and Deborah Bojman were each slapped with a $4,000 fine after their disruptive behaviour aboard a flight to Deer Lake, N.L., on Aug. 28, 2024.

And judging by the details that emerged in court, this was no normal case of passengers behaving badly.

According to a Sept. 29 decision by provincial court Judge Wayne Gorman in Corner Brook, the trouble began when Pancer, 56, left his seat and refused to follow instructions from the flight crew.

After eventually returning to his seat, he continued shouting obscenities, refused to fasten his seat belt and removed his shirt.

Things didn’t improve when the meal service rolled around.

Pancer reportedly became loud and threatening after discovering that an item he wanted to purchase wasn’t available.

Meanwhile, Bojman took the situation to a whole other level.

Court documents reveal that she also refused to remain seated and, at one point, removed all her clothing below the waist before walking up and down the aircraft aisle while shouting at passengers and crew.

The Price of Bad Behaviour

Both passengers pleaded guilty to endangering the safety of an aircraft in flight and interfering with the lawful use of property.

Bojman received her $4,000 fine at an earlier court appearance, while Pancer was handed the same penalty after Gorman determined that sentencing principles requiring consistency in similar cases called for equal treatment.

But in his written decision, Gorman said the sentence “fails to reflect the seriousness of the crimes committed,” CP reported.

“In this case, Mr. Pancer purposely disrupted the flight and diverted the airline staff from their primary function: the safety of the passengers,” the judge wrote.

“These offences are very grave …. The sentences imposed for this type of offence have not reflected this reality.”

No Laughing Matter

While the antics might make for an eyebrow-raising headline, disruptive passengers are no laughing matter.

Every minute flight attendants spend managing unruly behaviour is time taken away from their most important responsibilities: monitoring cabin safety, responding to emergencies and ensuring the well-being of everyone on board.

When passengers refuse to follow basic instructions, what begins as an inconvenience can quickly escalate into a serious safety issue.

The takeaway? Stay seated when instructed, keep your seat belt fastened, treat the crew with respect and, perhaps most importantly, keep your clothes on.

It’s a lot cheaper than an $8,000 lesson in airline etiquette.