Facebook hijack joke sees boxer banned

TAKEN SERIOUSLY: Airline Scoot cancelled a flight after Wayne Avison wrote on his Facebook page: "I'm going to high-jack the plane on the return flight and crash it".

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An Australian muay thai boxing trainer has been barred from his flight home from Singapore after posting a threat on Facebook to hijack and crash the plane.

Queenslander Wayne Avison paid a high price for venting his spleen on social media last month after his flight from Singapore to Bangkok was delayed five hours, causing him to miss a connecting flight to Australia.

Mr Avison complained on his Facebook page on September 25 that the missed flight had left him stranded in Singapore, adding that the airline Scoot had not offered him a night's accommodation either.

His son replied a short time later: "Well that sucks. Make sure you file a complaint when u get back".

Mr Avison responded: "I'm going to high-jack the plane on the return flight and crash it ... that'll fix the f...ers".

The airline, Singapore-based Scoot, cancelled his flight in response, citing concern for the safety of its passengers.

Mr Avison later posted online what he said was the airline's explanation for barring him: "You have exhibited threatening behaviour thereby posing a serious safety threat to our passengers and cabin crew. We cannot risk such behaviour, as that would be irreconcilable with the airline's overriding duty to ensuring safety and security of its passengers and crew."

But Mr Avison posted in reply that the threat was "an obvious joke", claiming that Scoot had in fact cancelled his flight because of his many complaints about the airline's poor standard of service.

"I'm Australian and live in Australia, a democratic society, which gives me the right to think, say and write whatever I bloody want!" he wrote. He has not yet deleted the comment about hijacking the plane from his Facebook page, which is publicly viewable.

Fairfax Media is awaiting comment from Scoot Airlines.

- The Age