A British man learned the hard way it's not a good idea to fly drunk after he was fined $23,000 for behaving so badly the plane he was on had to turn around.
David Young, a recovering alcoholic, decided to pre-load before a flight from Calgary to the UK and had six drinks in the airport lounge before boarding his flight.
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The 44-year-old tried to use the toilet during take-off and became belligerent with the flight crew and fellow passengers, The Washington Post reported.
According to court documents he was verbally aggressive and left other passengers shaken and threatened.
The captain of the flight decided to turn back to Calgary and had to dump $23,000 worth of fuel before he could land, USA Today reported.
Last week Young pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and failing to comply with safety instructions during the January 4 flight. He was fined the amount of the fuel, but the costs to the airline, WestJet, could run to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Young was returning to the UK after a holiday and was facing a number of personal issues including the breakdown of his marriage, USA Today reported.
His mother lives in Canada, but it is now unlikely he will be able to visit her.
Newshub.
