'Disruptive,' Drunk Teens Arrested After Mid-Flight Chaos

21.07.2025 14:59

A group of nine American teenagers was arrested in London after allegedly “going on a drunken rampage” during a flight, per The London Evening Standard.

The incident occurred during a Virgin Atlantic flight from Los Angeles to London’s Heathrow Airport on July 14. The teens reportedly used fake IDs to purchase bottles of alcohol at the airport, which they then consumed during the flight.

“We’d like to apologize 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,” a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said in a statement. “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 identities of the nine suspects have not been released, but the Standard reported that each is believed to come from wealthy families. According to the flight crew, the teenagers were “screaming and running amok” for the entirety of the 10-hour flight. When the plane landed in London, "all were arrested on suspicion of failing to comply with crew directions and endangering aircraft,” the spokesperson confirmed.

The suspects were then taken to a police station where they were photographed and fingerprinted. Officers also informed the group that they could face jail time for the offense and revoked the group’s Electronic Travel Authorizations, meaning they could not stay in London for the summer and had to return to America. Though Virgin Atlantic initially refused to fly the teens back to America, the airline eventually relented. However, the teens were split up and flown to different cities to avoid any further chaos.