JetStar, an Australian budget airline, has apologized for the actions of a crewmember on a flight who allegedly told passengers coming back from an indie music festival to flush their drugs down the airplane toilet. He warned the passengers that there were officers and sniffer dogs waiting for the plane at the gate.
“We have been told there are sniffer dogs and quarantine officers waiting in the domestic terminal,” the crewmember told the passengers on the flight from the Gold Coast to Sydney on Sunday. “If you need to dispose of anything you shouldn’t have we suggest you flush it now.”
At that point, many of the passengers, who were heading home from the Splendour in the Grass music festival, rushed to the bathroom.
However, one passenger told the Daily Telegraph that the warning was not appreciated. “Why would you tip people off about this? If they have got something illegal, let them get caught,” the passenger told the site. “I obviously couldn’t tell if people were flushing things but several of the people who suddenly got up to queue for the toilet had things clenched in their hand.”
Apparently, there is supposed to be a pre-recorded warning that plays for passengers, noting that some fruits and plants are not allowed to be taken across state borders. The crewmember decided a more personalized warning.
According to Reuters, the airline, which is owned by Qantas, did apologize for its crewmember’s actions. “The crew member's words were poorly chosen and are plainly at odds with the professional standards we'd expect,” the company said, adding that it had a stern talk with the employee.