Snits on a Plane

Posted Jul 27th 2006 6:58PM by TMZ Staff

There's clearly something in the air that's landing celebs in hot water when they fly -- or even before they board.
Composite of airplane, courtney love, monique, and diana ross
Just this week, actress-comedian Mo'Nique threw a fit when a United Airlines flight attendant allegedly equated her and her entourage to terrorists, and David Hasselhoff had to take another flight back home from London yesterday after, according to witnesses quoted in British tabloids, he was turned away from a British Airways flight for erratic behavior -- a charge that his rep says is "totally untrue."

But these recent incidents are just two in a long, grand tradition of stars making the skies unfriendly for airline and airport employees – DMX, Diana Ross, REM guitarist Peter Buck, and Courtney Love have all contributed to the air-rage hall of fame.

Just this past May, rapper DMX, never the most placid of personalities, refused to fasten his seat belt on a flight from New York to London and allegedly "became abusive" with the staff, getting a caution from police when he arrived in London.

Superdiva Diana Ross complained that she was "treated like a criminal" by a security worker in 1999 at Heathrow Airport and allegedly assaulted the worker, leading to a four-hour detainment at a police station. Ross was cautioned and released.

Diana Ross: Click to watchCourtney Love got upset that her friend wasn't allowed to sit in Virgin's Upper Class cabin with her and threw a hissy fit that reportedly included a striptease down to her undies. The incident resulted in her arrest when she arrived in London, though she wasn't formally charged with an offense.

And in perhaps the most bizarre air-rage story of them all, rocker Peter Buck mixed wine and sleeping pills on a British Airways flight from Seattle to London – always a dodgy proposition – and, amongst other things, allegedly tried to shove a CD into a drinks cart and got into a fight with attendants over a container of yogurt, causing a yogurt explosion on board. The rocker was charged with air rage, but was cleared in court of all charges.

There's clearly something about that long transatlantic journey that's getting the celebs all riled up -- pity that supersonic Concorde flies no more.

Comments [11]
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Reader Comments

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1. I felt a little sorry for Mo'Nique until she played the race card

All types of people are treated badly by low paid airline workers who have people screaming at them all the time. Southwest is so proud of how badly they treat flyers they have a show about it

Posted at 7:11PM on Jul 27th 2006 by abigail

2. Looks like Night Rider needs to make a stop at the local detox! I do feel bad that they treated Monique they way they did. While they were fussing with her a real terrorist could have slipped on to the plane with a real weapon.

Posted at 7:39PM on Jul 27th 2006 by Jack

3. The story about the 'yogurt explosion' was just TOO funny! I would have been laughing uncontrollably if i were on that flight. Just so crazy!

Thanks for sharing, TMZ!

Posted at 7:44PM on Jul 27th 2006 by looloo

4. What do these CELEBRITIES think? The last place I would be acting up is an AIR PORT. We all know about the security measures they have enforsed in the last 3 years. I mean, you can't even bring a nail clipper. It's considered a weapon. WHY ROCK THE BOAT. If you can't behave. Don't fly Commercial. Step up and purchase
a flight on a PRIVATE JET. Then they can behave like SAVAGES. In the mean time
stear clear of any questionable behavior.( especially at public airports.)

Posted at 8:25PM on Jul 27th 2006 by AIR SAVAGES

5. I hate the term race card.

A little civility wouldn't hurt people. On both sides. All of the incidents were very avoidable.

Posted at 8:29PM on Jul 27th 2006 by terri

6. I'd be interested in hearing some of the witnesses that were in First Class on that United flight. So far, it's just she said, they said. Sounds like a real retarded move on the fat black chick's part. Why cause a scene over a hair dryer. Stick the damn thing in the magazine pocket and order another cocktail.

Posted at 1:01AM on Jul 28th 2006 by Kitten

7. I do not feel at all sorry for Mo'Nique especially since she played the race card. Just goes to show she does not have a leg to stand on in her complaint. I am 67 years old, very disabled and on a flight recently was told I needed to use the restroom in the rear as the one up front was for 1st class. Well,since I am not a star and darn it, I am white, I just said "Oh, I am sorry" and complied with the rules. The attendant was very nice and that was the end of the story. Dadgum it, I could have been on Fox and Cnn!!!!

Posted at 6:49AM on Jul 28th 2006 by Emily

8. I am hoping you will have regular features .... in the near future.... that helps us find out about the many child stars who have gone on to other things or remained in show business in one way or another. Obviously some have had bad experiences since leaving their respective hit show(s).....but most of them have been able to avoid headline grabbing scandals.... and many of us would like to know how they are doing as adults.

Posted at 7:29AM on Jul 28th 2006 by Fakir Rahim

9. I don't care what she says....Courtney Love is still on drugs.

Posted at 9:44AM on Jul 28th 2006 by Erika

10. Mo'Nique is an a**. Just watch her behavior on The View- she is loud, rude, obnoxious. I can only imagine how she acted when she was told that she could not put the dryer in her overhead compartment. She should have just kept her mouth closed and followed the rules like everyone else. Then to throw in the race card?!? WTF? B****- YOU ARE IN THE WRONG- shut up and move on.

I don't know who made up this saying, But the customer is NOT always right. When you become loud mouth and nasty- time to go.

As for being a commedian- she is lame and so not funny.

Posted at 11:41AM on Jul 28th 2006 by MaryMack

11. 15 years ago I too was accused of being a races by a group who wanted me to get on the P.A. and welcome their group on board the aircraft....I refused as I felt it was of a political nature. The group was taping me, accused me of discrimination and they too called for a boycott of United. The story came out over the AP newswire and I was called an anti gay flight attendant.....things I said were taken out of context. No boycott ever happened, but it was very hurtful to be accused of something that I did and would never do. The good news is nothing became of it. I do not believe that one of my own flying partners would make a statement like "after 9/11 we do not put up with this"....there is much more to the story, we just have not heard it yet........

Posted at 2:01AM on Jul 29th 2006 by Anne Marie

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