Woman’s air rage forced US aircraft to divert

A 30-year-old New Yorker who spat at a flight attendant on board a transatlantic flight yesterday escaped jail.

At Ennis District Court yesterday, Marianne Thatcher, with an address at Park Avenue in New York City, was fined €500 after pleading guilty to three air-rage related charges.

Insp Tom Kennedy told the court the captain of an Athens-bound flight from JFK Airport diverted to Shannon 400km yesterday morning due to concerns he had for the other passengers because of Thatcher’s behaviour.