Fremantle Dockers officials have declared it “unacceptable” that players and staff on a horror charter flight from Tasmania last weekend were allegedly forced to urinate in pools while flight crew were forced to shovel toilet waste into pools by hand.
The AFL team was on a chartered National Jet Express flight from Launceston to Perth following its loss to Hawthorn on Saturday night when the plane ran out of water less than an hour into the journey.
The Transport Workers Union, which represents cabin crew, has expressed deep concern over the ordeal, claiming staff and passengers were subjected to an unsanitary and unsafe environment as toilets were not working, sparking an AFL investigation.
Fremantle football team boss Joey Brierty said the toilets would “fill up during the flight” and flight crew would have to “do some things” to ensure the toilets could be used throughout the flight.
However, when asked whether the players actually had to urinate in sinks, he would “not go into detail”.
“We were about an hour into the flight home when we were told the tanks were full,” he said on Thursday.
“Our players were still able to use the toilets, but of course they filled up during the flight.
“This meant that the staff had to do a lot to ensure that we could complete the entire flight home.”
Brierty said the situation was “inappropriate” and hoped the AFL’s intervention would ensure it does not happen again.
“It really wasn’t adequate. In terms of facilities, those facilities need to be at a standard level that allows passengers and also staff to travel home, but it was managed as best as possible,” he said.
“Of course, the AFL is currently investigating this and will ensure that the appropriate facilities are available to clubs in their future charter agreements.”
When asked if he would have preferred the flight to be diverted, Corey replied, “No, we wanted to go home,” adding, “Obviously, from a health and safety perspective, it wasn’t great.”
The team was reportedly scheduled to fly with Virgin but had to be rebooked onto a charter flight.
Luke Ryan, who will be celebrating his 150th game this Sunday, told reporters that there were not too many problems on the way home.
“On the way back I slept almost the whole time and was dehydrated so I didn’t have to walk, so it was good to get back home,” he said.
The AFL said it was awaiting the results of an investigation into the incident and expressed its disappointment in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
“The AFL was extremely disappointed after inadequate onboard facilities were provided for players, club staff and flight crew on a charter flight from Launceston to Perth last weekend,” AFL spokesman Jay Allen said.
“We have expressed this directly to the charter company and are awaiting the results of their investigation.
“We thank the staff and players of the Fremantle Football Club for their understanding and the flight crew on board for their professionalism during these difficult hours in the air.
“Once the airline’s investigation is complete, we will discuss next steps with the charter company.”
TWU Western Australia state secretary Tim Dawson strongly criticised the situation, calling it “totally unacceptable” and claiming it showed “a blatant disregard of duty of care” to both passengers and union members.
“Our cabin crew members should not be exposed to such dangerous working conditions and passengers should not have to endure such stressful experiences,” he said.
Mr Dawson said the safety and welfare of members was the union’s “top priority”.
“This incident underlines the importance of having health and safety representatives and a strong voice for workers to report these incidents before the aircraft is in the air,” Mr Dawson said.
“We are committed to the rights and safety of our cabin crew members and must ensure that such avoidable incidents do not happen again.”
The TWU has contacted National Jet Express, which is reportedly investigating the incident and has agreed to share its findings with the union.
A National Jet Express spokesman said the incident was under investigation.
“NJE is aware of the situation on board a charter flight from Launceston to Perth and is conducting a thorough investigation into the incident to ensure that any deficiencies are immediately corrected,” the spokesman said.
“The well-being of the crew and passengers is our highest priority and therefore we take this matter very seriously.”