A boozy transatlantic flight turned into a federal case in September, and it may end up costing United Airlines close to $200,000 in compensation.

The trouble started on 8 September aboard United flight 18 from Milan Malpensa to Newark. According to an FBI affidavit, a passenger made repeated trips to the back galley demanding more alcohol, filmed crew members who refused her, called them racist, and ignored warnings that the plane would land if she didn't return to her seat. Things escalated from there: she allegedly reached for a rear door handle, bit the purser on the wrist, then kicked the same crew member in the upper stomach, leaving her struggling to breathe and injuring her shoulder as she fell into another passenger. An off-duty pilot seated beside her was scratched badly enough to need medical treatment.

It took three to five passengers and crew to wrestle her to the floor and restrain her — and she stayed restrained for roughly three hours. At one point, crew swapped her restraints for looser ones after complaints they were too tight. That was a ruse; she immediately tried to slip free.

The flight diverted to Bangor, Maine, where the woman was removed, and continued to Newark without her. Her own account is a study in self-delusion: she told investigators she'd had three glasses of red wine plus a whiskey and coke, blamed the crew for rudeness, denied biting anyone or going for the door, and handed over phone videos she was convinced would prove her innocence. Those videos, per the affidavit, reportedly show her repeatedly requesting alcohol, offering to pay for another drink, and ignoring instructions to sit down. She admitted she couldn't remember fighting anyone — but conceded it was possible.

Here's the part every traveller should clock: because the flight departed from Europe, EU261 compensation rules apply. Airlines can dodge delay payouts after diversions caused by unruly passengers by calling it an 'extraordinary circumstance'. But that defence collapses when the carrier contributed to the problem — say, by overserving someone in the first place. With 274 people aboard, the potential exposure for cash compensation comes to about $190,000 if everyone else on board claims what they're owed.

Why care? Two reasons. First, one passenger's meltdown can cost you your connection, your evening, your holiday — and this case shows the compensation system can actually work in your favour when the airline shares the blame. Second, it's a reminder that cabin crew cutting someone off isn't rudeness; it's procedure, and arguing the point at 35,000 feet rarely ends well for anyone, least of all the person doing the arguing.