Paris is bad? Meet her little brother Conrad Hilton III

Conrad Hilton III (left) with parents Kathy and Rick ... he said his father would pay to get him out of trouble. Photo / AP

Young heir raises the bar for bad behaviour in 4-hour plane rampage

Paris Hilton's riotous lifestyle made her a star of the gossip columns - but the hotel heiress has now been outdone in the misbehaviour stakes by her youngest brother.

Conrad Hughes Hilton III, the great-grandson of the founder of the Hilton hotel chain's founder, is facing a possible lengthy prison sentence after going "berserk" on a British Airways flight from London, threatening the cabin crew, taunting them that his father would pay the airline off and calling his fellow passengers "f****** peasants".

The 20-year-old was led into a Los Angeles court in manacles on Tuesday. He did not enter a plea and was released on bail set at US$100,000 ($135,576).

One air stewardess said she had never seen a passenger "lose it consistently for four hours at a time on an aircraft" as Hilton allegedly swore at staff, threatened them with violence, smoked drugs and drove children to tears during the flight last July.

Problems started at takeoff when the young man insisted on getting out of his seat despite the seatbelt sign remaining lit. After he was told to sit down, one flight attendant told the FBI, it was "one tirade after another" and Hilton got up at least 20 times during the 11-hour flight to Los Angeles.

"I am going to f****** kill you. I will f****** rip through you," he shouted at the airline staff at the height of the episode, according to the FBI affidavit, before turning on his fellow passengers.

"I will f****** own anyone on this flight; they are f****** peasants."

At one stage, Hilton is said to have challenged the co-pilot, saying: "If you wanna square up to me, bro, then bring it on and I will f****** fight you."

He also said: "My father will pay this out, he has done it before. Dad paid $300,000 last time."

It is not known what had happened "last time" to cost his real estate tycoon father Rick Hilton, believed to be worth close to US$300 million, to pay that sum.

Witnesses said they smelt cannabis coming from the aeroplane's bathroom and believed Hilton was the culprit.

The affidavit said he accused the flight crew of "taking the peasants' side".

At one stage he complained to an attendant that a male passenger was "giving him the stink eye" and allegedly added he "either wants to fight me or f*** me, but I am not gay".

Hilton admitted taking a sleeping pill before the flight, according to documents seen by the website TMZ. His lawyer Robert Shapiro said the sleeping pill affected his client's behaviour

Hilton's previous run-ins with authorities include spending time in detention in Los Angeles for testing positive for marijuana, which violated his probation after a previous arrest.

- Independent