Bob Jones ejected from Air NZ flight

[Dave Homewood]

Bob Jones ejected from Air NZ flight

By Pattrick Smellie

1:45 PM Wednesday May 27, 2015

Property magnate Sir Bob Jones was ejected from an Air New Zealand flight after refusing to take instructions from cabin crew, according to Businessdesk news wire.

The 75-year-old Hutt Valley resident had boarded flight NZ421 from Auckland to Wellington when cabin staff attempted to instruct him in his duties as an emergency exit row passenger, where he was seated in row 12, in a window seat.

Jones kept reading when the staff member sought to deliver him and other passengers a routine safety briefing.

Told he could be moved to another seat if he was unable or unwilling to assist in an emergency, he refused to be moved and asked to be left alone, according to passengers in the same row, who witnessed the incident.

Two Civil Aviation Authority staff were summoned to the plane to escort Jones.

The flight was delayed some 20 minutes, prompting an apology from the flight's captain, who said "no matter who you are", passengers had to obey CAA regulations, which included paying attention to safety briefings.

Jones, an iconoclastic newspaper columnist, with a penchant for thumbing his nose at authority and any and all manifestations of the "nanny state", owns a suite of commercial and industrial properties in New Zealand and Australia, which the Robt Jones Holdings website says is valued at more than $1.5 billion

The former politician, sometime author and boxing enthusiast is fabled for striking a TV journalist who tracked him down to a remote fishing spot after the 1984 general election, attempting to evict the Fijian High Commission from his buildings during one of the Pacific nation's coups, and launching baroque legal actions involving traffic offences and former employees.

A spokeswoman for Air New Zealand confirmed that Aviation Security was called to flight NZ421 this morning prior to departure to assist with a passenger who refused to follow crew instructions.

"The captain requested that Aviation Security remove the passenger from the flight, in line with Civil Aviation requirements," she said.

The incident follows a situation on board a Jet Star flight to Christchurch last week, where a man was evicted from the flight for unruly behaviour.

The man was delayed from flying with Jet Star or Qantas for 24 hours but was not arrested.

www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11455485

[Deleted]

Good stuff, the Police have given up on telling him to wear his seat belt and keep to the speed limit.

[Darren Masters]

So many 'experts' on the NZ Herald web site with their comments of 'flight attendants over zealous' etc etc. Really? Some even say 'Frequent flyers know what to do anyway'. Really? So us as flight attendants know that EVERYONE seated in an emergency exit is a frequent flyer? Who cares if you are a high profile person? CAA rules are CAA rules and a requirement of sitting in the exit is that you listen to the briefing. In that briefing you will know how to use the exit/what to do if you can't use the exit and a host of other things. If you choose not to listen...Not rocket science really.

[The Red Baron]

This is going to be fun....ANZ might be big and brave kicking a pensioner off a plane...but by God this is Bob Jones...they may as well have pulled the pin out of a hand grenade and sat on it...Go Bob..

[keroburner]

I look forward to hearing his version of events in his weekly newspaper column.

[chinapilot]

Who gives a sh!te about his version of events...

He was in an emergency row and should have paid attention.

The Capt will be fully supported in his actions and well done to the cabin crew - this is the best thing that's happened for a while.

Evidently, cabin crew are aware that quite often airline inspectors are travelling,as passengers, and take a dim view of any reticence by cabin crew to act authoritively

[Dave Homewood]

Bob Jones is a serial arsehole who thrives on this sort of bad publicity. The crew did exactly the right thing.

[jonesy]

May 27, 2015 16:05:25 GMT 12 Darren Masters said:

So many 'experts' on the NZ Herald web site with their comments of 'flight attendants over zealous' etc etc. Really? Some even say 'Frequent flyers know what to do anyway'. Really? So us as flight attendants know that EVERYONE seated in an emergency exit is a frequent flyer? Who cares if you are a high profile person? CAA rules are CAA rules and a requirement of sitting in the exit is that you listen to the briefing. In that briefing you will know how to use the exit/what to do if you can't use the exit and a host of other things. If you choose not to listen...Not rocket science really.

Look, I'll be the first to put my hand up and admit that sometimes I dont listen to the briefing, quite often I get the exit row seats as I get to check-in early. On occasion after a swing of nights I'm prone to dozing off during the briefing, and once woke up with the flight attendant looking directly at me awaiting the confirmation of the emergency evacuation briefing. Very apologetic indeed!
These guys on our flights, some of them have been doing the FIFO stuff for up to 40 years, and I guess they'd consider themselves something of an expert, being able to do the briefing word and action perfect at the drop of a hat.
But I'd have to say, if the brown stuff hit the revolving object and I had to pop that door, I'd be damn happy to be first out!

[chinapilot]

Well - if you're not prepared to act responsibly don't ask for the seat at check in - simples.

[lumpy]

I have no doubt that he would have been warned that he needed to listen , long before action was taken . It wont have been the initial failure to pay attention that got him thrown off , it will have been what happened after that . ( ie , failure to follow instructions from crew - whatever they may have been ( in this case it was about the saftey briefing , but could have been anything )

[Darren Masters]

Then there are times we don't know if CAA are sitting in the overwing listening. If that happens and you get people such as this guy there then and think "Ah don't worry about it" next things it's tea and biscuits with management and possibly a new career down at work and income...

[alexjc]

Gosh...seat select anyone?

I'd thought RJ would be more inclined to be seated up front considering he would be sitting on a pile of status points?

Still, we'll hear about it in his "resident Righty" column how it was everybody else's fault but his own...

[baronbeeza]

Back Benchers was on TV last night and was embarrassing viewing also. The politicians on the panel assumed it was the general briefing and as a result thought it over the top. Poor Bob getting picked on, etc.
It is certainly interesting noting the number of passengers now saying they don't listen to the briefing. The same one's presumably are game to comment when they don't understand the 'exit' briefing and it's reason.

[Dave Homewood]

Oh for goodness sake keep the ridiculous party politics crap out of this, this is not a political matter, it is a case where CAA and the airline have enforced the clear ruling because an obnoxious, ignorant passenger has accepted responsibility for his seat and then refused to comply with the CAA briefing that is part of that responsibility. Any passenger who does the same will be treated in the same way.

I know from very recent experience, when you scan your Air New Zealand e-ticket, if you have been placed in a seat with an emergency door, before it gives you a boarding pass you get a clear statement on screen that states you have been placed there and must comply with the directions of cabin crew. It gives you an opportunity to change your seat, or decide to stay in that seat. If you choose to stay you have to physically enter that, and it is basically agreeing to a contract as far as I can see. It then will issue you the boarding pass. Later when you board and are seated the cabin crew once again tell you about the special nature of the seat and ask if you feel physically capable and are willing to have the responsibility to be seated there, and they direct you to special cards with instructions on how to use the door, etc. When you've read that card they ensure you understood it. It's not rocket science. If you are that dumb hat you've agreed to the seat and it's responsibilities when getting your boarding pass but then refuse to carry out the responsibilities in listening to directions and reading a simple card, then you don't deserve to fly.

[alexjc]

I'll admit I've ignored the occasional saftey briefing and found the Hobbit video awful. I do make an effort to pay attention on a Q300 or ATR flight. Most likely to crash.

[Darren Masters]

May 28, 2015 18:20:00 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Oh for goodness sake keep the ridiculous party politics crap out of this, this is not a political matter, it is a case where CAA and the airline have enforced the clear ruling because an obnoxious, ignorant passenger has accepted responsibility for his seat and then refused to comply with the CAA briefing that is part of that responsibility. Any passenger who does the same will be treated in the same way.

I know from very recent experience, when you scan your Air New Zealand e-ticket, if you have been placed in a seat with an emergency door, before it gives you a boarding pass you get a clear statement on screen that states you have been placed there and must comply with the directions of cabin crew. It gives you an opportunity to change your seat, or decide to stay in that seat. If you choose to stay you have to physically enter that, and it is basically agreeing to a contract as far as I can see. It then will issue you the boarding pass. Later when you board and are seated the cabin crew once again tell you about the special nature of the seat and ask if you feel physically capable and are willing to have the responsibility to be seated there, and they direct you to special cards with instructions on how to use the door, etc. When you've read that card they ensure you understood it. It's not rocket science. If you are that dumb hat you've agreed to the seat and it's responsibilities when getting your boarding pass but then refuse to carry out the responsibilities in listening to directions and reading a simple card, then you don't deserve to fly.

Dave, you have summed it up as it needs to be summed up. Plain and simple isn't it?

[lesterpk]

Plain and simple, yes, but to some people still too hard.
Flew Virgin Oz Karratha back to Perth about a year ago, got to airport very early and scammed an aisle seat next to the window. After boarding, empty seat next to me and a mid 20's lady in the aisle seat. We got the exit row briefing, all good. Before takeoff the lady said to me she was starving and to wake her for the meal, then she prompty covered up with the blanket and reclined her seat fully, all before takeoff. Cabin crew invited her to sit elsewhere.

[pjw4118]

Bob who ?

[Deleted]

May 29, 2015 8:01:45 GMT 12 alexjc said:

I'll admit I've ignored the occasional saftey briefing and found the Hobbit video awful. I do make an effort to pay attention on a Q300 or ATR flight. Most likely to crash.

Whats the reasoning behind that theory?

[lindstrim]

May 29, 2015 8:01:45 GMT 12 alexjc said:

I'll admit I've ignored the occasional saftey briefing and found the Hobbit video awful. I do make an effort to pay attention on a Q300 or ATR flight. Most likely to crash.