A Jetstar passenger and TikTok prankster says he has been temporarily banned from flying with the airline and Qantas after inflating his life jacket during a pre-flight safety demonstration.
The aircraft was preparing to depart for Adelaide from Sydney on Friday night when Hugh Lovett put on a life jacket during the pre-flight briefing.
As the announcement warned passengers to inflate their life jackets only when leaving the aircraft, Hugh pulled the cord, causing the vest to inflate around him with a loud hiss.
‘Apparently you’re not supposed to copy them,’ a caption on the video read.
His brother, Blake Lovett, who was looking at the safety instructions, then appeared to bury his face in his hand.
While the incident brought more than 200,000 views to The Lovetts on TikTok, Hugh claimed to the Daily Mail that it was unintentional.
‘I was just copying what the flight attendants were doing,’ he said.
‘They obviously stated clearly not to put the lifejacket on until you leave the plane, but I wasn’t paying attention which was silly of me.’
Police escorted him through Adelaide Airport after the plane landed before interviewing him about his actions.
‘Once I arrived, they took me to the front of the plane and police were there waiting to escort me off and interview me,’ he said.
‘The police, who were really nice about it, asked why I did it and whether it was supposed to be a funny joke.
‘I told them it was a big weekend, we didn’t get much sleep and I wasn’t really thinking.’
Hugh said he had since learnt his lesson.
‘I thought it would be a little bit funny, but I’ve learnt now that it’s not very funny,’ he said.
‘The repercussions from it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be and that putting on the life jacket wasn’t going to be crucial whatsoever.’
Hugh claimed he had been temporarily banned from flying with Jetstar and Qantas while a final decision was being considered.
A Jetstar spokesman said customers are required by law to follow crew safety instructions at all times.
‘We have zero tolerance for behaviour that puts the safety of customers and crew at risk,’ he said.
Some social media users saw the funny side of the incident.
‘This was sooo worth it,’ one said.
‘I know this isn’t good, but I can’t help laughing,’ a second said.
‘OK, this is very funny, it was worth whatever punishment you got,’ a third said.
However, not everyone was impressed by the behaviour.
‘Grow up. You’re not funny,’ one said.
Daily Mail has contacted the AFP for comment.
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