Warning sends jet passengers on a rush to flush (drugs)

Australian budget airline Jetstar apologised on Wednesday after a stewardess told passengers on a flight from the Gold Coast tourist strip to flush away "anything you shouldn't have".

The warning that sniffer dogs and quarantine officers were on standby in Sydney prompted a rush to the plane's toilets, News Ltd reported.

Fans at the Splendour in the Grass music festival in 2013. Screengrab: APHRA Mag

The airline said the flight attendant had taken a routine announcement about Australia's strict quarantine regulations, which prevent some plant and fruit materials being transported between states, too far.

"Our procedures allow cabin crew to deliver the quarantine message through a public announcement and on this occasion the crew member elected to do so," Jetstar said.

Poorly chosen words

"The crew member's words were poorly chosen and are plainly at odds with the professional standards we'd expect from our team," it said in an emailed statement.

Some of the 210 passengers onboard were returning from indie music festival Splendour in the Grass. The largest event of its kind in Australia over winter is held over three days near the tourist haven of Byron Bay, south of the Gold Coast.

The festival attracts around 30,000 fans to Byron Bay's seaside parklands each year, with 2014's line-up featuring artists including Outkast and Lily Allen.

- Reuters