Fiji Airways Incident: Woman Arrested After Restraint

A 69-year-old Australian woman, identified as Stephanie Banks, was restrained on a Fiji Airways flight from San Francisco to Nadi after exhibiting abusive behavior, including vulgar and racist remarks towards the crew. Her disruptive actions began with an argument with her husband, who was seated separately on the flight, and escalated to yelling expletives, threatening the crew, and throwing objects, leading the flight attendants to duct tape her mouth shut to maintain order. Upon landing, Banks was arrested by Fijian authorities and charged under the Fiji Civil Aviation Act for unruly behavior. Fiji Airways emphasized its zero tolerance for such threatening behavior, prioritizing the safety of passengers and crew. The incident has sparked legal proceedings and divided public opinion on the appropriateness of the flight crew's response.