An episode of air rage sparked by a passenger's reclining seat has cost a New Zealand man $600.
Shane Mathew Diedrichs was fined in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday for abusive behaviour towards another passenger aboard a flight from Wellington to Brisbane last November.
The court heard the 38-year-old became aggressive when the man in front refused to move his reclined seat into the upright position, pushing and kicking the back of the chair and forcefully striking its headrest.
Commonwealth prosecutor Rebecca Blaszczyk said witnesses reported Diedrichs became agitated and began pushing, kicking and kneeing the man's seat, making "violent gestures", and speaking in an aggression tone.
Diedrichs, a roofer, arranged to move seats but not before forcefully striking the reclining passenger's headrest and later returning to verbally abuse him.