Jet-isoned: Two Qantas cabin crew were last week barred from flying duty on a Boeing 737 like this

About 200 angry Crowne Plaza guests – many woken from their beds – scrambled into the street just after midnight last Friday after the woman smashed an interior alarm point after a boozy night out.

Two fire appliances rushed to the scene to discover it was a false alarm.

The female crew member was forced to stump up $1500 on her credit card by hotel bosses next morning to cover damages and the cost of the callout.

Crowne Plaza boss Brett Wilson confirmed the incident to Mountain Scene this week – but he wouldn’t reveal the Qantas connection.

“Someone smashed one of the alarm call points after a big night out,” he says. “We know exactly who it was and the guest has been charged $1500 for the callout fee and to fix the call point.

“It was a fairly big stuff-up by the guest and when she was asked why she did it she said she had no idea and she was upset and disappointed with herself. She left next day.”

Wilson also explained the matter was dealt with swiftly by one of the woman’s senior colleagues.

“The company involved took a very proactive stance and we received a call from them first thing in the morning.

“I believe the company has dealt with the woman in a serious nature, given the serious nature [of the incident]. It was an expensive night out for her.”

Wilson admits other guests were far from happy.

“It was a full hotel evacuation,” he says. “We were about 75 per cent full so that’s about 200 people and we aim to get everyone out in about three minutes.

“[Guests] were very disgruntled.”

The Qantas crew overnighted at the hotel when technical problems pre­vented their aircraft from departing for Christchurch on Thursday afternoon.

During the hotel stay, it’s believed a male Qantas staffer was also involved in a separate matter, which is being dealt with by the airline as well.

A Qantas spokesperson says: “On July 31, flight QF2783 from Queenstown to Christchurch was delayed due to a technical issue.

“Crew were accommodated at a nearby hotel and scheduled to operate the flight next morning.

“Following an incident at the hotel, two cabin crew members were stood down.

“The incident is being investigated. Replacement cabin crew subsequently operated this service.”

As a result of the Crowne Plaza debacle, Queenstown fire brigade will now take a tougher stance on deliberate false alarms.

“Two Queenstown crews and two fire appliances attended the incident,” says assistant fire commander Keith Macintosh. “In future, we will be alerting police to all malicious alarms.”