A 37 year old American man whose drunken behaviour turned a transatlantic trip into a "flight from hell" was sentenced yesterday to two years in jail.
Staff on the Virgin Atlantic Airways flight last month from Orlando, Florida, to Manchester were so alarmed at James Mullahy's antics that the captain ordered the locking of the flight deck doors.
Mullahy, from Palm Coast Florida, who was taking medication at the time of the flight received the maximum sentence after admitting endangering aircraft safety and being drunk aboard an aircraft.
A Manchester court heard how Mullahy, on his way to a job interview in Dublin, had to be restrained by passengers and crew after spending several hours drinking heavily with a US Marine who was sitting next to him.
The aircraft was at 33,000 feet when Mullahy began marching up and down the aisle, swearing, clenching his fists and talking about God.
He was overpowered by passengers, despite three times breaking free from nylon and metal handcuffs, and was finally subdued when a holidaymaker punched him twice in the face.
Judge Anthony Ensor told Mullahy: "Anyone listening to the description of your conduct on this plane cannot help but fail to be horrified by the thought of the distress and terror which these passengers must have felt.
"The maximum sentence for people who behave in this way on an aircraft is two years. That is totally inappropriate and I call for a review of the maximum sentence. Clearly airlines must look at this very carefully to avoid a situation to develop where people like you, whether or not affected by drugs as well as drink, engage in this behaviour on what has rightly been described as a flight from hell."
The judge recommended Mullahy should be deported after serving his sentence.
. Two airliners came within 250 metres of each other over Heathrow this week, and only quick thinking by an air traffic controller prevented a possible collision, officials said yesterday.
The near miss occurred on Tuesday when a Boeing B-737 of the Dutch airline KLM descended too far and came close to a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 of the Scandinavian carrier SAS, the air traffic controllers' union said.
"This was an unusual near miss. We only reported five incidents of such seriousness last year, said an official from the Institution of Professionals, Managers and Specialists.