Spirit Airlines passenger banned for life after vaping on flight
By Ray Sanchez, CNN
A 30-year-old Spirit Airlines passenger on a flight from Detroit to New Orleans recently got himself banned for life after deciding to take a smoke break in the plane’s bathroom.
An attendant on Flight NK 985 told a deputy on Tuesday that she saw him take a drag from an e-cigarette and exhale into a bag, said Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Jason Rivarde. She admonished him.
The St. Petersburg, Florida, resident then got up and headed for the restroom, according to a report filed with the sheriff’s office. While he was in the bathroom, the plane’s smoke alarm went off.
Related articleVaping co-pilot caused Air China plane to plummet, officials say
When a deputy met the plane at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, the unidentified passenger denied smoking in the restroom, according to the report. He told a deputy he didn’t know smoking was prohibited on flights.
The passenger was not arrested but he may never again fly with Spirit: The deputy’s report said the company banned him for life.
“It’s a private business that can ban customers at their own leisure,” Rivarde said.
“It’s like telling you not to come back to the restaurant. Once he was on the ground, he was cooperative with our deputies so he didn’t face any criminal charges.”
Vaping apparently wasn’t his only problem.
Another passenger complained to the flight attendant that he had been drinking from bottles of alcohol that he brought on board – which is also prohibited, according to the sheriff’s office.
Spirit Airlines has not responded to a request for comment.
Spirit Airlines bans passenger for life for vaping on flight
Man sets off aircraft smoke alarm
- Copy link
- Bookmark
- CommentsGo to comments
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarksClose popover
Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts
*SIGN UP
A man has been given a lifetime ban on Spirit Airlines flights after he vaped on board a plane and set off the smoke alarm.
The passenger was flying from Detroit to New Orleans on 4 June when a flight attendant saw him take a drag on an e-cigarette before exhaling into his bag.
After being told he couldn’t smoke or vape on board the plane, the 30-year-old Florida resident was spotted heading to the aircraft toilet, reports CNN, where he managed to set off the plane’s smoke alarm, which sounded in the cockpit.
The pilot had to descend to 35,000ft in order to shut off the alarm.
The man was also seen drinking from several bottles of alcohol hidden under his jacket, which is prohibited under Federal Aviation Administration rules – they state that passengers may drink alcohol only if it’s served to them by the “certificate holder operating the plane.”
A deputy sheriff met flight NK985 when it landed at Louis Armstrong International Airport and reported that the passenger was “highly intoxicated”.
The man said he didn’t know smoking was banned on aircraft and also denied vaping in the toilets.
He wasn’t charged but was banned from flying with the US domestic airline for life.
He’s not the first person to ignore the rules when it comes to smoking on a plane.
In May, a passenger lit a cigarette and starting smoking on a flight in the US, despite the practice being banned for the past two decades.
Promoted stories
Que faire en Malaisie ? Les 15 plus beaux endroits à voir et visiterPetit Futé
The man, who had boarded a Spirit Airlines flight to Minneapolis, Minnesota, was filmed by a fellow traveller.
Oblivious to other passengers, the video shows him lighting up and drawing on the cigarette, before leaning back against his seat with his eyes shut.
A cabin crew member comes over and taps the man, putting his cigarette out.
The smoker appears startled, saying “oh my God,” as the flight attendant informs him what he’s doing is illegal.
All the things that can get you kicked off a plane – or even banned for life
Hazel Plush
Fri, September 5, 2025 at 12:00 PM GMT+7
6 min read
Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.1
All too often, bad behaviour on public transport is met with a blind eye, but there is perhaps one final bastion of decency: the commercial aircraft. It might not feel like it when your fellow passengers are prolific farters, space invaders and seat kickers – but there’s a line. And if you cross it, you can expect to be ejected tout de suite, or even black-listed by the airline.
Just ask the Crete-bound Briton who was handed a lifetime ban by Jet2 last month, after being caught with class A drugs and treating his fellow flyers to “a catalogue of disgraceful and aggressive behaviour”. Or the Ryanair passenger who was arrested last week after attempting to open an emergency exit in mid air.
But not all faux pas are quite as obvious or extreme: from going barefoot to smelling awful, these are the antics that can get you grounded – literally.
Hitting the booze
Technically, it’s illegal to be intoxicated on a plane – so think twice before you reach for that second gin spritz. But there’s a world of difference between gently sozzled (absolutely fine) and raging drunk (absolutely not), and the latter can get you removed from your seat before take-off.
Advertisement
This, no doubt, came as unwelcome news to 26-year-old Bradley Musgrove, who was ejected from an Emirates flight at Newcastle Airport in June for slurring his words and smelling of booze – and fined £1,065, including court costs, for the privilege. It could have been worse: according to the Civil Aviation Authority, “Acts of drunkenness on an aircraft face a maximum fine of £5,000 and two years in prison.”
Joining the mile-high club
Even if you can overcome the practical, physical and hygienic obstacles of a mid-flight liaison, getting caught is a sure-fire mood killer. Last year, after being spotted in flagrante under a pile of coats, Bradley Smith and Antonia Sullivan, from Wales, were removed from their UK-bound easyJet flight and later sentenced to almost 600 hours of community service.
It’s more common than you might think: in July, Connecticut couple Trista Reilly and Christopher Arnold were arrested on arrival in Florida after a woman and children allegedly witnessed them getting amorous in the cabin; they have since been banned from JetBlue.
Not fitting into your seat
If you’re too portly to sit with both armrests lowered, most airlines – including Virgin, Ryanair and Qatar Airways – will ask you to book two seats. But failing to do so can get you expelled before take-off, as Angel Harding found last March when Air New Zealand crew allegedly removed her because she was too overweight to travel in a single seat. The airline later apologised, and reportedly offered her a free flight home.
Going barefoot
Skin-tight hot pants, a corset, a cap emblazoned with the word “f—”: all are examples of clothing that have resulted in their wearers being ejected from planes in recent years. In March 2019, passenger Emily O’Connor was reportedly removed from a Birmingham-to-Tenerife flight after Thomas Cook staff said her skimpy crop top was “causing offence”.
Advertisement
Of all the world’s airlines, those in the US most commonly stipulate dress codes; for example, Delta says it “may refuse to transport or may remove” customers if their clothes risk causing “offence or annoyance to other passengers”. It also prohibits going barefoot, as does Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines – so think twice before kicking off your shoes after boarding.
Being sick
In 2019, 47 people were removed from a single TUI flight to Manchester from Boa Vista in Cape Verde after a mass outbreak of gastroenteritis during their holiday. The airline reportedly told the captain to de-plane anybody – whether vomiting or not – who might trigger a medical diversion, which delayed many of the passengers’ journeys by several days. If ill passengers are thought to be contagious or an in-flight safety risk, cabin crew have discretion to remove them.
Smelling bad
In its Conditions of Carriage, American Airlines asks passengers to “be respectful that your odour isn’t offensive”, while Delta warns it “may refuse to transport passengers… when [their] hygiene or odour creates an unreasonable risk of offence or annoyance”. And they’re true to their word: in 2019, the former removed the Adler family from a flight to Detroit after passengers allegedly complained about Mr Adler’s body odour. The family were reportedly given overnight accommodation and meals, and placed on a flight the next day.
Smoking or vaping
Lighting up is guaranteed to get you a ticket to nowhere. In July, a TUI flight from Cancun to Gatwick was diverted to the US when a couple refused to stop smoking in the bathroom – triggering a 17-hour delay for all passengers.
Advertisement
Smoking and vaping are taken so seriously that you may be black-listed by the airline too. British Airways states that it has the “right to refuse to carry you or to ban you” if you “have ever been caught smoking, attempting to smoke and/or tampering with a smoke detector on a previous flight”.
Ignoring instructions
Another rule from BA: if you refuse to heed cabin crew’s safety instructions, don’t expect to fly. This could cover anything from not turning off your phone to not stowing your tray-table when requested – and don’t even think about refusing to fasten your seatbelt. In July, a Batik Air flight from Vietnam to Malaysia was delayed when a woman wouldn’t belt-up; she was removed from the plane, reportedly to a chorus of cheers from fellow passengers.
Becoming violent
Any violent action against crew or passengers is a sure-fire way to get booted off, and potentially incur a lifetime ban. Dutch flag-carrier KLM has said it bars around five passengers per month, many for violent behaviour. KLM and Delta have also called for an “no fly list” of offenders to be widely shared between airlines, but no formal system is currently in place.
More in U.S.
McDonald’s Worker, 19, Arrested on Suspicion of Double-Charging Customers and Funneling Nearly $700 to His Personal Account
People
2.4K
‘You Sick B*stard!’ Capitol Cop Gets Right in the Face of Jan. 6 Supporter in Wild Scene at Jack Smith Hearing
Mediaite
3.2K
Wade Wilson Killed 2 Women and Described the Brutal Murders Over the Phone. Inside the “Handsome Devil: Charming Killer” Case
People
933
Giá vàng đang tăng mạnh trong năm 2025 — Các nhà giao dịch thông minh đã tham giaIC Markets
