A 58-year-old grandmother has been banned from flying with Australia's national carrier Qantas after she got drunk and punched a man in the face on a flight from Australia to New Zealand. Courts also ordered the granny (Mrs M) to pay the airline nearly US$18,000 for having to return to Melbourne Airport. She also received a 4-month jail sentence suspended for two years. Mrs M had a history of anti-social behaviour on airplanes. She was involved in an incident on a Virgin Airlines flight on last year and was fined for using bad language and smoking on the flight. If she is found guilty again of such behaviour, she will end up in prison. Qantas has banned her from its flights for at least ten years. Mrs M, a former nurse, was flying to New Zealand to see her children. She got drunk on the flight and began verbally abusing other passengers and the flight attendants. She then started punching and headbutting the seat in front of her. A male passenger then asked her to be quiet. At this, she stood up, flew into a rage and punched him hard in the face. He required stitches on his 6cm cut. Court judge Luisa Bazzani said Mrs M's behaviour was "appalling". She said: "Those passengers affected by your…behaviour were unable to remove themselves from the situation." She added: "The assault by you of a fellow passenger without any provocation is particularly concerning."

A 58-year-old grandmother has been banned from flying with Australia's national carrier Qantas after she got drunk and punched a man in the face on a flight from Australia to New Zealand. Courts also ordered the granny (Mrs M) to pay the airline nearly US$18,000 for having to return to Melbourne Airport. She also received a 4-month jail sentence suspended for two years. Mrs M had a history of anti-social behaviour on airplanes. She was involved in an incident on a Virgin Airlines flight on last year and was fined for using bad language and smoking on the flight. If she is found guilty again of such behaviour, she will end up in prison. Qantas has banned her from its flights for at least ten years.

Mrs M, a former nurse, was flying to New Zealand to see her children. She got drunk on the flight and began verbally abusing other passengers and the flight attendants. She then started punching and headbutting the seat in front of her. A male passenger then asked her to be quiet. At this, she stood up, flew into a rage and punched him hard in the face. He required stitches on his 6cm cut. Court judge Luisa Bazzani said Mrs M's behaviour was "appalling". She said: "Those passengers affected by your…behaviour were unable to remove themselves from the situation." She added: "The assault by you of a fellow passenger without any provocation is particularly concerning."