Agitated passenger ‘tried to hit crew and open plane door’

A routine flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (JED/OEJN), to London Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) turned into mayhem when a male passenger had a meltdown.

While the incident didn’t cause any disruption to Heathrow operations, passengers on Saudia Airlines Flight SV119 were left ‘frightened.’ A passenger allegedly argued aggressively with a male flight attendant before trying to hit him, passengers said.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner landed at Heathrow shortly before 1pm on Thursday, and the emergency services surrounded it quickly. But before the plane had fully stopped, the unruly passenger tried to open the aircraft door.

A source told the waiting media: ‘It was chaos on board and very frightening for families. ‘It was crazy as we were so close to reaching the aircraft gate.’

Metro Police said that one man was arrested and charged for endangering an aircraft.

A few hours at Brisbane airport

On Thursday afternoon, I spent a few hours at Brisbane airport. The main reason was that Air Canada, which usually arrives at 7 a.m. and departs at 10:10 a.m., was scheduled to leave at 2:30 p.m. I assume the significant delay was due to this: on Wednesday, Air Canada arrived at 6:30 p.m. (not a.m.) and departed at 8:30 p.m. The crew that flew in at 6:30 p.m. likely needed about 18 hours of rest, leading to the 2:30 p.m. departure.

Another reason I went out was to catch the Qatar 777 flying for Virgin Australia, along with flights from Cathay and Singapore Airlines.  

ASIANA AIRLINES BOEING 777-28E HL-7755 (MSN 30861)
OZ602 SYDNEY (SYD) TO SEOUL (ICN) 18 YEARS

PIPER ARCHER III VH-JRP (MSN 2843569)
FLYING FROM ARCHERFIELD (QBA) TO KINGAROY (KGY) 22 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-VGR (MSN 4257)

QANTASLINK DASH 8 400 VH-LQF (MSN 4375)
QF2405 ARRIVING FROM EMERALD (EMD) 14 YEARS

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-UYN (MSN 19000095)
QF1873 ARRIVING FROM CAIRNS (CNS) 18 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-7K2 VH-NBV (MSN 39446)
VA950 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 14 YEARS

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350-941 B-LQF (MSN 413)
CX150 OFF TO HONG KONG (HKG) 5 YEARS

ROYAL FLYING DOCTORS BEECH KING AIR 360CER VH-FDB (MSN FM-105) 3 YEARS

REX SAAB 340B VH-ZRH (MSN 340B-392) 
ZL5732 OFF TO ROMA (RMA) 29 YEARS

SOCATA TBM-700B VH-PGA (MSN 262)
BRISBANE (BNE) TO LONGREACH (LRE) 22 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VYF (MSN 33994)
QF529 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 20 YEARS

ALLIANCE FOKKER 100 VH-UQB (MSN 11483)
QQ880 OFF TO TREPELL (TQP) 31 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-YXW (MSN 5796)
JQ485 OFF TO NEWCASTLE (NTL) 11 YEARS

AERLINK ATR72-500 VH-FVI (MSN 955)
AL869 ARRIVING FROM ROCKHAMPTON (ROK) 14 YEARS

AIR CANADA BOEING 787-9 C-FGDX (MSN 35269)
AC36 OFF TO VANCOUVER (YVR) 9 YEARS

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4C (MSN 55288)
QF1256 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 1 YEAR

ROYAL FLYING DOCTORS BEECH KING AIR 350C VH-FDN (MSN FM-58) 11 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHC (MSN 276)
SQ236 OFF TO SINGAPORE (SIN) 6 YEARS

LINK AIRWAYS SAAB 340B VH-VEA (MSN 340B-406)  

ALLIANCE FOKKER 70 VH-QQX (MSN 11571)

LIFEFLIGHT BOMBARDIER CHALLENGER 604 VH-URR (MSN 5439)
AM604 OFF TO ROCKHAMPTON (ROK) 26 YEARS

GLOBAL JET INTERNATIONAL BOMBARDIER 6000 VH-8MR (MSN 9792)

NATIONAL JET EXPRESS DASH 8 400 VH-IYV (MSN 4231)
WO509 ARRIVING FROM CAIRNS (CNS) 17 YEARS

QATAR BOEING 777-3DZ A7-BEU (MSN 65302)
VA15 OFF TO DOHA (DOH) 7 YEARS
FLYING FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-XZJ (MSN 39365)
QF539 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD) 11 YEARS

QUEENSLAND POLICE SERVICE BEECH KING AIR 360 VH-8TT (MSN FL-1293) 3 YEARS

BEECH KING AIR 250 VH-VEW (MSN BY-204)

Toilets stop working on Virgin flight, passengers told to 'urinate in bottle'

Virgin Australia has issued an apology after passengers on an overnight flight from Bali (DPS/WADD) to Brisbane (BNE/YBBN) experienced a lack of functioning toilets, which passengers described as "a filthy, humiliating nightmare"

In a statement, Virgin said the flight took off with one rear toilet out of service but then the remaining two lavatories became unserviceable during the last one hour and forty minutes of the flight.

However, passenger Aaron, who was on board Flight VA50, said the Boeing 737 departed Bali on Thursday at 4.06 PM (local) with only one working toilet, but it too broke down about halfway through the six-hour flight.

"Passengers, including myself, waited over 40 minutes just to access the single toilet

"The crew told us we would have to relieve ourselves in bottles or in the sink or on top of whatever was already in the toilet," he said.

"Toilets quickly clogged and overflowed with human waste, urine, and used toilet paper. The stench spread through the aircraft, seeping onto the floor."

Aaron said the cabin crew eventually apologised.

Virgin Australia did not respond to these specific claims from the passenger but did say they were investigating the incident and "sincerely apologised" to customers.

"We will be crediting guests for the Denpasar to Brisbane flight, and we are proactively reaching out to them to provide this update," the statement said.

They also thanked crew for managing "a challenging situation on board".

National Assistant Secretary of the Transport Workers' Union, Emily McMillan, said the union had reached out to Virgin and that the event was a severe hazard to both crew and passengers.

"Across the board aviation workers are dealing with increasing risks to their health and safety at work, with an industry-wide trend towards profits over performance," she said.

Aircraft Information:
Airline: Virgin Australia 
Code: VA/VOZ

Aircraft: Boeing 737-Max 8

Registration: VH-8IK
Serial Number: 65116
Engines: 2 x CFMI LEAP-1B
First Flew: 23/07/2025
Age: 1 Year

A US airline is enforcing a two seat policy for obese passengers

Is this cruel or is it kind?

The world's largest Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) is about to get strict on passengers that need two seats

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES BOEING 737-7H4 (MSN 29832)

Southwest Airlines has revised its long-standing policy for accommodating customers who need more than one seat due to their size, with major changes coming into effect on the 27th of January 2026, as the airline transitions to assigned seating.

Under the updated rules, customers who need extra space must reserve the required seat or seats in advance to guarantee availability. If they fail to do so, they will have to buy an extra seat at the airport at the higher day-of-travel rate. If the flight is fully booked or no adjacent seats are available, they will be rebooked on another flight.

Refunds for extra seats will be available only if the following conditions are met: the flight departs with at least one open seat or with passengers traveling on space-available passes; both seats are purchased in the same fare class (Choice, Choice Preferred, Choice Extra, or Basic); and the refund request is submitted within 90 days of travel.

Until the 26th of January 2026, the current system remains in place. This allows plus-size passengers to either pay for the cost of an extra seat in advance (and receive a refund later if the flight is not full) or request an additional seat at no charge upon arrival at the airport if space permits. If a flight is full, the customer is rebooked. If the need for an extra seat is identified only after boarding, the passenger may be asked to deplane so their reservation can be updated and then be rebooked on another service.

This existing approach has long made Southwest a preferred choice for plus-size travelers, who appreciated the flexibility of booking in advance with the option of a refund, or simply requesting extra space at no extra charge on the day of travel.

The change comes amid rising obesity rates in the United States. Between August 2021 and August 2023, 46.3 percent of American adults were classified as obese, with 9.4 percent considered severely obese, according to national data.

Unsurprisingly, Southwest’s revised policy has triggered widespread discussion. For passengers who have experienced their seat space encroached upon, the change will likely be seen as overdue. But for plus-size passengers, particularly those who may struggle financially, being required to pay for additional seating upfront—or worse, at last-minute airport fares—raises concerns about affordability and fairness. The link between socioeconomic status and obesity further complicates the debate, potentially deepening divides between travelers.

Southwest, the world’s largest low-cost airline and one of the “big four” U.S. carriers, has also clarified that any customer traveling on itineraries that include a partner airline must purchase an additional non-refundable seat directly from that partner if they cannot be safely accommodated in a single seat.

The airline emphasizes regularly that additional seats cannot be bought simply to keep the seat next to you vacant.

Other major airlines have indicated they will be closely monitoring these new rules and may follow suit.

Planes over Parkinson

With runway 01 in use at Brisbane airport yesterday, I spent most of the day outside snapping photos of aircraft flying over or near my home. There were plenty of regulars like Qantas, Virgin, and Jetstar, but once you've seen one, you've seen them all, so I won't bore you by sharing the same shot repeatedly.

CESSNA 172R SKYHAWK VH-LWE (MSN 17280186)
ARCHERFIELD (QBA) TO CASINO (CSI) 28 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YID (MSN 38709)
VA913 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 13 YEARS

CESSNA 172P SKYHAWK VH-AZQ (MSN 17275569)

FLIGHT TRAINING ADELAIDE DIAMOND DA40 VH-YTW (MSN 40.1014)
TOOWOOMBA (WTB) TO ARCHERFIELD (QBA)

CHINA EASTERN AIRBUS A330-243 B-5931 (MSN 1440)
MU715 ARRIVING FROM SHANGHAI (PVG) 12 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VXK (MSN 33481)
QF604 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 23 YEARS

CIRUS SR22 VH-8AS (MSN 9171)
ARCHERFIELD (QBA) TO BANKSTOWN (BWU) 2 YEARS

KOREAN AIR BOEING 777-3B5 HL-8250 (MSN 37650)
KE402 FLYING SYDNEY (SYD) TO SEOUL (ICN) 13 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VQPH (MSN 0695)
QF6001 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 19 YEARS

ALLIANCE FOKKER 100 VH-FGB (MSN 11446)
VA1211 ARRIVING FROM CANBERRA (CBR) 32 YEARS
FLYING FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

FLIGHT TRAINING ADELAIDE DIAMOND DA40 VH-YNV (MSN 40.1078)
TOOWOOMBA (WTB) TO ARCHERFIELD (QBA) 15 YEARS

BEECH 95-B55 BARON VH-HFB (MSN TC-2141)

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4D (MSN 55298)
QF1266 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 1 YEAR

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YID (MSN 38709)
VA705 ARRIVING FROM HOBART (HBA) 13 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-VGN (MSN 4434)
JQ818 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD) 15 YEARS

ALLIANCE FOKKER 100 VH-UQG (MSN 11520)
VA1107 ARRIVING FROM NEWCASTLE (NTL) 31 YEARS
FLYING FOR VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

BASAIR PIPER ARCHER III VH-VDX (MSN 2843185)
ARCHERFIELD (QBA) TO WARWICK (WAZ) 27 YEARS

BASAIR PIPER SEMINOLE VH-BJC (MSN 4469409)
ARCHERFIELD (QBA) TO WARWICK (WAZ) 8 YEARS

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4A (MSN 55253)
QF1268 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 1.9 YEARS

JUST SUPER STOL XL VH-WGL (MSN JA571-11-19)

CESSNA 152 VH-WWM (MSN 15280192)