CNN – According to the Australian Federal Police, a 32-year-old man from Western Australia was disruptive on a flight headed from Perth to Sydney.
As a result, the plane had to turn around and go back to Perth, which meant that the pilot was forced to dump some fuel to land.
Now, the passenger has been ordered to pay $8,630 AUD ($5,806 USD) back to the airline to cover the cost of the wasted fuel.
The Perth Magistrate Court also fined him $6,055, meaning that his mid-air misbehavior has a total price tag of $11,861 – likely many times higher than whatever he spent on the ticket.
“This incident should serve as a warning that criminal behavior on board can come at a heavy cost to the offender,” Shona Davis, the AFP’s Acting Superintendent, said in a statement.
“It’s far simpler to obey the directions of airline staff than cause unnecessary issues, which can end up hitting you in the hip pocket.”
Neither the man nor the airline was publicly named, nor was it specified exactly what he did to earn such a hefty penalty.
The passenger pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly behavior on an aircraft and one count of failure to comply with safety instructions.
