Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Chloe Haines: Woman who tried to open plane door mid-flight jailed for two years

‘I’m going to kill you all,’ yelled Haines during the flight

Cathy Adams
Wednesday 12 February 2020 14:15 GMT
Comments
Chloe Haines arrives at Chelmsford Crown Court

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A 26-year-old woman has been jailed for two years after trying to open the door of a passenger plane in mid-air.

Chloe Haines was found guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court on Wednesday of endangering the safety of an aircraft and assaulting a member of cabin crew.

The air-rage incident occurred on board a Jet2 flight last June, which was flying to Dalaman in Turkey.

The aircraft was forced to return to the UK when Haines tried to open the door, forcing the RAF to scramble two Eurofighter Typhoon jets to intercept it.

Cabin crew member Charley Coombes suffered scratches as she fought to prevent Haines, who was yelling “I’m going to kill you all”, from opening the door.

Haines, who had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, later said that she “blacked out and didn’t really remember what happened” after mixing alcohol with medication, said prosecutor Michael Crimp.

In his sentencing, Judge Charles Gratwicke said: “Those that are trapped in the confined space of the aircraft will inevitably be distressed, frightened and petrified by the actions of those who in a drunken state endanger their lives.

“For some it will be their worst nightmare come true.”

Jet2 claimed that the incident cost them £86,000.

Between 2007 and 2017, more than 66,000 incidents of air rage were reported to the International Air Transport Association (Iata).

Additional reporting by agencies

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in