Sooner or later the Connors and their extended family had to come home to face the music. It had taken nearly three days of waiting in the airport lounge at Norfolk International in Virginia for their relatives in London to wire the money for their flights. But it was a subdued Montego Bay 12 that arrived back in Britain yesterday for a "meaningful conversation" with immigration officials and police.
With heads bowed and faces covered with newspapers, the first glimpse of this family of Irish descent whose alleged behaviour on an Airtours flight to Montego Bay caused the captain to re-route his Boeing 767 jet to Virginia was an indication of their growing notoriety in recent days.
Turning to one of the photographers running alongside a coach that was bringing the family back to their homes in Lewisham, south London, a woman in the group dropped her earlier reluctance to acknowledge the press pack.
She blew kisses and waved, and with her family laughing beside her, the camera crews and photographers could hardly contain their delight.
Claims and counter-claims by the family and by the tour operator, Airtours, ensure this tale will be a delicate task to unravel.
The family, which is considering legal action, insists an Irish sing-song turned into an argument with a fellow passenger who threw a drink over one of their group and only two people were involved in the incident.
Airtours says its captain was forced to re-route the flight because the whole group took part in a drink-induced, mid-air brawl and is considering legal action under the Air Navigation Order, which carries a maximum penalty of two years.
It has also banned the family from travelling on its flights and is seeking to recover £20,000 for the cost of re-routing the flight.
Sussex police officers escorted the 12 members of the Connors and Driscoll families off Northwest Airline flight NW32 after it touched down on the runway at 9.30 a.m.
They had spent the long flight from Virginia via Detroit catching up on sleep but when the flight landed it was another 20 minutes before they were allowed to disembark.
Police officers transferred them in minibus to the Sir Winston Churchill suite - usually reserved for visiting dignitaries - next to the south terminal at Gatwick for questioning by immigration officials. An hour later and the family had failed to emerge.
Chief Insp Mike Alderson of Sussex police told reporters no arrests would be made "this morning".
"It is highly unlikely that anyone will be arrested today in connection with the alleged incident. The police investigation could take up to three or four weeks because witnesses around the world need to be interviewed," he added. After nearly two hours of questioning the first to emerge was a man wearing dark glasses, waving his hand in the air.
In contrast to their eagerness to protest their innocence in the US the 12 stayed silent and climbed on a coach - hired by the police at a cost of £150 - to take them home to their children.
"The police investigation into an official complaint by Airtours has already begun," Chief Insp Alderson said. "It will be a thorough and painstaking investigation. But it will obviously take some time because the witnesses to the alleged incident are still, hopefully, enjoying their holiday in Jamaica." At their caravan site in Lewisham, one of the women in the group said the family were "delighted to be home". Wearing a T-shirt with the words "I love Virginia" written on the front, she added: "All it was a singsong but we haven't decided what to do just yet - we're just pleased to be home."