The Veronicas hit back at claims Qantas plane ordeal was for publicity

Pop duo The Veronicas have hit back at rumours their latest incident on-board a Qantas plane was for publicity ahead of their new TV show.

The Veronicas — twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso — have hit back at rumours their latest incident on-board a Qantas plane was for publicity ahead of their upcoming reality TV show set to air on Foxtel later this year.

The Aussie pop duo were “embarrassingly” removed from a plane leaving Sydney on Sunday, escorted off the Qantas aircraft by three federal police in an ordeal they described as “crazy” and “confusing”.

According to Qantas, the pair “refused to follow crew instructions” on the flight to Brisbane and were deemed security risks — a scene the pair described as “upsetting and embarrassing”.

The sisters were escorted off a Sydney to Brisbane Qantas flight on Sunday.

But the twin sisters hit back on Tuesday, telling Channel 10’s The Project the incident was blown out of proportion. They quashed any suggestion it was all for publicity and said they would be taking legal action against the airline as a result.

“This is a legal matter, not a publicity stunt,” Jessica responded when asked by host Tommy Little whether there was a motive behind the madness.

Lisa agreed, saying she didn’t think the publicity from the incident would in any way assist in promoting their new MTV reality show, Jess & Lisa: The Veronicas, which is slated to premiere on Foxtel in November.

They denied it was a publicity stunt.

Jessica said while they had requested information from Qantas about why they were removed from the aircraft on Sunday, the sisters were yet to receive a clear reason from the airline.

“The Federal Police and Qantas were unable to give us a reason why (they were booted off the plane),” she said.

“We have contacted Qantas four times now and we still don’t have a reason why we were removed off the flight.”

Jessica said the pair would now take legal action against Qantas and release footage of the incident provided it did not impact proceedings.

“If it doesn’t implicate with any legal standing, absolutely (the vision will be released),” she said.

It is understood that after the twins boarded and made their way to economy class of the QF516 flight, Qantas cabin crew gave instruction about bags and shifting their luggage in the overhead storage compartment.

Company protocol is that cabin crew cannot manage passenger baggage and advised the pair to seek assistance from another passenger if they were unable to personally move their bags.

According to the airline, that’s when the pair allegedly started getting argumentative before taking photos and video of the crew involved.

The cabin crew asked the sisters not to take photographs during the altercation, but after the pair allegedly continued to film, they were asked to disembark from the aircraft. The sisters, however, say at no point were they asked to turn off their phones.

It is understood the Australian Federal Police (AFP) were called when the sisters refused to leave the plane, but once authorities arrived, they agreed to disembark willingly.

The Veronicas will now take legal action against the airline.

“After boarding, two passengers refused to follow crew instructions and were offloaded,” the AFP said in a statement, noting The Veronicas were put on another flight one hour later.

In an interview with news.com.au, Brisbane resident Damen — who was on-board the QF516 flight but asked for his surname to be withheld — said the ordeal could’ve been dealt with differently by the airline.

“Basically, they put their luggage in the wrong way with the wheels hanging out towards the aisle,” he said.

“Cabin crew said they can’t correct the bag, so as one of them tried to get out of their seat, the passenger sitting in the aisle offered to adjust the bag for them.

“As the steward came back, one of them asked for her name. The crew member walked away and came back with a superior who said there are rules and that this incident had become a security risk.”

Damen said the incident resulted in the plane being “stuck on the tarmac for 45 minutes” before the twin sisters were removed.

“I was close enough to the discussion to see this was not a security threat,” he said.

“They (The Veronicas) were quite distressed and annoyed but no real raised voices. I think the whole thing was an over-reaction and Qantas could have dealt with it differently.”