Woman bit partner's face in row at 30,000ft

11:54am Saturday 17th May 2008

A couple brawled on a Manchester-bound plane in a drunken row which culminated with the woman biting her partner's face.

Andrew Gilmour, aged 43, and Jacqueline Smith, of Kirby Road, Coventry, had to be separated as the pilot of the Thomas Cook flight from Hurghada, Egypt, with up to 233 passengers on board, was forced to reroute to Lyon.

Terrified witnesses on the Boeing 757 said the couple began arguing soon after they boarded the flight.

They began swearing at each other and punches were thrown at 30,000ft before the woman sunk her teeth into her partner's cheek.

A spokesman for French air transport police in Lyon said yesterday the couple were arrested late Tuesday evening on touchdown and were released without charge the following morning.

He said: "They were drunk and fighting each other on the plane. The woman bit the man on the face but neither suffered major injuries."

The crew of Flight TCX 573L was said to have attempted to restrain the warring partners before two female off-duty police officers stepped in.

The rest of the passengers arrived at Manchester Airport in the early hours of Wednesday, more than three hours later than scheduled.

One passenger said: "When the woman bit her partner's face there was blood everywhere and people gasped in disgust.

"Things only calmed down when some off-duty officers stepped in and restrained them."

Thomas Cook said later that it plans to pursue the couple through the British courts.

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