Australian influencer banned from Qantas and Jetstar for inflating life jacket on flight

An Australian influencer has been banned from Qantas and Jetstar after inflating an emergency life jacket during a pre-flight safety demonstration on a Jetstar flight from Sydney to Adelaide on October 16. The act prompted a no-fly order from the Qantas Group. Hugh Lovett, of the TikTok account The Lovetts, filmed the incident, which showed the vest inflating loudly as the safety video instructed passengers to inflate jackets only when leaving the aircraft. Jetstar stated that tampering with safety equipment is illegal and that they have zero tolerance for behavior endangering passengers and crew. Inflating a life jacket inside the cabin can restrict movement and slow evacuations, as passengers are only meant to retrieve and inflate them outside the aircraft in an emergency. The ban covers both Qantas and Jetstar operations.