Alcohol, planes and bomb jokes don't make a great mix.

Central Queensland miner Michael Angwin found that out the hard way on April 4 when he boarded a Virgin flight from Rockhampton on his way back to the Gold Coast after a night shift.

The Rockhampton Magistrates court heard that a Virgin hostess overheard the 25-year-old FIFO miner make a comment about there being an explosive on board the aircraft.

Despite Angwin's attempts to retract his statement and convince cabin staff he had only been having a laugh, the airline had no choice but to ground the plane. 

Airports and airlines are subject to intense security measures and, as such, the authorities have a short fuse when it comes to possible and suggested threats.

Rockhampton Airport was shut down and Angwin's flight was grounded for more than an hour.

The Penalty

He has been fined $6000 and ordered to pay Virgin Airlines $2720 in compensation. 

The incident will no doubt fuel the debate between mining companies and Central Queensland communities over the impact fly-in, fly-out mining is having on the region.

Last week it was reported that the Mt Isa Magistrates Court issued FIFO worker James Maurice John Jeffrey (22) with a one-year good behaviour bond after he stole a fire extinguisher and went on a spraying spree in the town.

With Angwin’s bomb joke backfiring and Jeffrey’s fire extinguisher escapade dousing his chances of having any such fun in the next 12 months, anti-FIFO advocates aren’t having much difficulty finding examples of the type of behaviour they claim is damaging their communities.

References

• http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/news/fifo-miner-fined-for-bomb-threat
• http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/bomb-threat-no-joke-fifo-miner/1613060/
• http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/features/the-centre-of-the-fifo-debate
• http://www.northweststar.com.au/story/613647/drunken-escapade-earns-probation-order/