Nine teenagers who used faked IDs to buy illegal booze in the USA and used it to get drunk on a Virgin jet to the UK were arrested by over a dozen police at Heathrow.
The out-of-control children on a school trip aged 17 and 18 had topped up their in-flight drinks with alcohol and when the plane was cruising at 30,000 feet were sozzled.
Their furious teachers and aircrew were unable to control nine children in the group of 20 and the captain radioed ahead that the flight was being endangered by drunk passengers.
Virgin Flight VS008 was met at Terminal 3 at 10am on Monday by a large group of waiting police officers and 8 unruly boys and 1 girl were arrested and taken into custody.
While the remaining group of teachers and pupils from a posh school in the States flew onto a summer camp in Europe their pals were finger-printed and had their mug shots taken.
Then they were put into cells on at Heathrow’s Polar Park police station to sleep off the booze and awoke to heavy hangovers the next day and the fury of a remaining school-teacher.
Virgin refused to fly them back to LA but when it was pointed out they had an obligation to honour the return tickets came up with a ‘suitable revenge’ for the flight disruption.
The Met Police decided not to charge the nine teenagers – ruling the loss of their holiday and return 5500 miles to their furious parents in Los Angeles would be punishment enough.
The out-of-control children on a school trip aged 17 and 18 had topped up their in-flight drinks with alcohol and when the plane was cruising at 30,000 feet were sozzled
Virgin Flight VS008 was met at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 at 10am on Monday by a large group of waiting police officers and 8 unruly boys and 1 girl were arrested and taken into custody. Pictured: Heathrow Airport
But that is where Virgin stepped in and added to their shame for the return flights.
A Virgin Atlantic source said: ‘They did not want any repeat offending so they decided not to send them back as a group but one at a time on 9 separate flights to teach them a lesson.
‘The flights to Los Angeles are packed this time of the year but three seats were found on separate flights on Wednesday and the first three were put one by one on those home.
‘But the other six were not so lucky as there were no more seats back to Los Angeles.
‘So 2 flew back on separate flights to San Francisco, 1 to Las Vegas, 1 to Seattle, 1 to Atlanta, and the last one to JFK which left some of them thousands of miles away from home.
‘Parents were told Virgin’s responsibility ended at returning them to American soil and as it was their children’s fault entirely for getting drunk that where they landed was tough luck.
‘The very upset mums and dads then had to fork out for fresh airline tickets to get their hungover and very sheepish kids back to LA no doubt to face a huge rollocking as well.
‘We will not tolerate anyone of any age endangering our aircraft and passengers’ she said.
The nine had their ETA’s (Electronic Travel Authorisations) cancelled which means if they want to return to the UK in the future they will have to go through a tough visa process.
The Met Police decided not to charge the nine teenagers – ruling the loss of their holiday and return 5500 miles to their furious parents in Los Angeles would be punishment enough and were flown back ona Virgin place. Pictured: Stock image
Their illegal ID’ which allowed them to buy booze at duty free in LA where unlike the UK the legal age to drink or buy alcohol is 21 were confiscated and destroyed by police.
The children were said to have been ‘screaming and running around’ and would not sit down as told in their seats so the captain radioed ahead for the arrest of the rabble rousers.
It is understood that many of the arrested boozers were the children of well-known business people, politicians and sports stars in the USA who had to pick their shamed children up.
The Virgin source said: ‘These posh kids had thought they were being clever using the fake ID’s to buy booze which they tipped into soft drinks but it all became clear quite soon.
‘A couple of hours into the flight they had necked their alcohol and were clearly drunk and out of control on the smuggled booze and being at altitude as well it hit them hard.
‘They were behaving disgracefully and ignored the pleaseof teachers and crew members to behave so the cockpit radioed ahead for their arrest as a final resort and that happened.
‘Their flights home were very sobering and silent and lonely with the Virgin staff fully aware of what they had done and keeping a very good eye on them for the flight back home.
Their illegal ID’ which allowed them to buy booze at duty free in LA where unlike the UK the legal age to drink or buy alcohol is 21 were confiscated and destroyed by police
‘What started as an adventure became the lesson of a lifetime.
‘They were lucky they were not all charged and forced to stay in the UK until going before local magistrates who take a very dim view of passengers getting drunk on aircraft’.
The two children sent to San Francisco had a further 340 mile flight home and from JFK it was 2440 miles and Las Vegas 240 miles and Seattle 950 miles and Atlanta 2010 miles.
A Virgin spokesperson said:’We’d like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused following the arrival of the VS008 at London Heathrow on 14th July, due to disruptive passengers being apprehended by the authorities.
‘This is now a matter for the police, and we are unable to comment any further. The safety and welfare of our people and our customers is always our top priority.’
The Met Police confirmed: ‘Nine individuals – aged 17 and 18 – were arrested on Monday, 14 July at Heathrow Airport after disembarking a flight from Los Angeles.
‘All were arrested at Heathrow on suspicion of failing to comply with crew directions and endangering aircraft and were taken into custody and released without charge’
