Extensive press reports detailing a controversial Etihad Airways Sydney-Abu Dhabi flight that ended with three drunken passengers being arrested, have had “zero impact” on demand for this popular route, the airline has claimed.
The airline’s vice president of corporate communication, Iain Burns, said the well documented incident, which saw three Diamond Zone (first class) passengers banged up in an Abu Dhabi jail and eventually convicted for sexual harassment and sexual assault, had “not impacted bookings or demand whatsoever”.
And, even though Etihad conceded that clashes between the three passengers and cabin crew staff emerged due to “some problems with the plane”, it was confident this would not damage Etihad’s reputation in Australia where the airline is currently establishing its brand.
“What it shows the Australian market is that if you break the law – and there is evidence to support this allegation – then the authorities, whether in Abu Dhabi or Sydney will take it seriously,” he said.
Burns noted that customers look for “safety and security” in an airline and stressed that at no time during flight EY 451, which departed Sydney on April 26, were these factors in question.
According to some reports in the Australian and UAE press, the problems started mid-flight when passengers Jeremy Snaith and David Evans, two directors of small Australian mining company, Jupiter Mines, and former merchant sailor, William Sargent, who became friendly with the mining pair before the flight’s departure from Sydney, started complaining about “problems with the first class cabin”.
Australian broadsheet the Sydney Morning Herald reported: “The LCD screens didn’t work and neither did the fresh air vents above some of the first class seats. At least one of the Jupiter Mines directors was unable to power-up his laptop computer from the plane’s power supply.”
Sydney lawyer Ross Hill claimed these problems caused clashes with the cabin crew, but Etihad painted a graver picture.
It claimed that trouble began when flight attendants refused to serve the three men alcohol. The airline alleged that following a mid-flight drinking session Evans and Snaith removed their underpants before running around the cabin in their Etihad pyjamas.
The Abu Dhabi court also heard that one of the Jupiter men then stripped off and lay naked on a reclined seat, while Burns claimed another of the men allegedly offered one of the flight attendants “money for sex”.
After sampling life in a UAE jail for several days and following hours of questioning in front of an Abu Dhabi court, Evans was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to a 12-month custodial sentence, suspended for three years.
Snaith was convicted of sexual harrassment and given a three-month custodial sentence, suspended for three years.
Sargent, who was taking prescribed medication, was acquitted of two charges -the unlawful consumption of Temazepam and the use of offensive language in a public place.
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