How to get kicked off a flight

 
 
 

  • Bomb jokes - This is kind of a no-brainer, yet happens all the time. Remember the recent airport evacuation at an Alaskan airport after a man made comments about a bomb? (Shutterstock)

  • Kiddie tantrums - Disorderly behaviour can get you booted off your flight. And this counts for unruly kids too, as the crew of a JetBlue flight forced the family of a tantrum-throwing toddler to debark the plane in March 2012. The family ended paying more than $2,000 (R16 000) for a new flight and hotel room for the night. (Shutterstock)

  • Aggressive behaviour - even if you're part of the crew. Qantas decided to ground two pilots after a quarrel erupted in the cockpit, and both American Eagle and Swiss air did the same with bickering crew. (Shutterstock)

  • Drinking too much - Even looking as though you may be under the influence of a substance can get you kicked off a flight. Earlier this year a woman got booted off Southwest airlines flight in the US because a gate agent thought she was intoxicated. After getting a toxicology test from a hospital, it turned out her blood alcohol level was less than 0.003. (Shutterstock)

  • Ignoring requests to turn off electronic equipment - We all have trouble switching off and unplugging, but when the crew tell you to turn that smartphone off for take-off, you better do it. Yes, even you, Alec Baldwin. The hot-headed actor was as kicked off a flight for neglecting to pause his game of Words with Friends. (Shutterstock)

  • Refusing to wear a seatbelt - Disobeying the crew's safety instructions is seen as an offense by most airlines, and one that they don't take lightly. When a 3-year-old boy recently refused to buckle up on an Alaska Air flight that was preparing to take-off, both the kid and his father had to disembark. (Shutterstock)

  • Refusing a security check - If you refuse to undergo a security check, airlines have the right to refuse carrying you. Even if you can't stand the thought of that frisky security agent, it's best to just comply if you're serious about reaching your destination. Carolina K. Smith, M.D. / Shutterstock.com