A woman filmed smiling and waving as she was arrested on a Jetstar flight has walked away with a fine of just $1, despite causing major disruption on a Sydney-bound plane.
Arabella O’Byrne appeared in Downing Centre Court on September 17, where one charge was dropped, and she was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond. No conviction was recorded, and no plea was entered over allegations of disorderly behaviour.
The incident unfolded in July on a flight from Vanuatu to Sydney, when O’Byrne was allegedly drunk and abusive on board. Her arrest was filmed by passengers and widely shared online.
Footage showed O’Byrne strutting down the aisle flanked by three Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers, waving, smiling, and even poking her tongue out as she was escorted off the aircraft.
“She didn’t seem bothered by any of it,” passenger Clint Williams, who was travelling with his children, told Daily Mail.
“It actually looked like she was enjoying the attention; she was waving, smiling, even posing while people filmed her.”
Witnesses said the situation began when O’Byrne was accused of vaping in her sea, and when cabin crew confronted her, she allegedly became abusive.
“I asked the family what was going on and they said she was being really abusive to the staff when they tried to talk to her,” Williams recalled.
As tensions escalated, during the three hour flight, passengers heard raised voices from the back of the cabin.
When the plane landed in Sydney, everyone was told to remain seated while officers boarded to make the arrest.
Video footage on the flight showed an officer asking, “Did you vape? That’s the allegation.” O’Byrne replied, “Let’s look in my whole bag and see if I have a vape. I have cigarettes, not a vape.”
When police reached for the phone she was using to film, she pulled it back, saying she was recording for her own safety. Moments later, officers took her into custody as she yelled in protest.
Passengers clapped as she was removed from the aircraft.
The AFP confirmed they were called to respond to the disturbance, with a spokesperson saying: “The passenger was allegedly intoxicated, verbally abusive, and aggressive towards other passengers and crew members.”
“AFP members met the flight when it arrived at Sydney Airport and escorted the woman off the aircraft.”
Jetstar thanked its customers and crew for staying calm.
“We thank customers and crew for the way they responded to the situation and the Australian Federal Police for their assistance on arrival into Sydney,” a Jetstar spokesperson said.
It is unclear who O’Byrne was travelling with, though a man was later seen carrying her bag off the flight.
Images: TikTok
