Passenger in China delays flight after refusing to sit upright
An Air Guilin flight from Southern China was delayed for close to three hours after a passenger lying down across the seats refused to sit in an upright position for takeoff.
Source: Sina
In the video posted by the Southern China Morning Post (SCMP), the passenger can be seen lying down across two seats.
Repeated attempts to negotiate with her failed, and the flight from Guilin to Jinan in China could not take off as she refused to move.
Passenger claims she has a medical condition
According to SCMP, the passenger claimed that she had a medical condition and could not sit upright.
The passenger had paid for two seats in order to lie flat on the plane, but didn’t inform the airline about her condition.
In the video, the passenger could be heard protesting: “Whoever kicks me off the plane today will bear full responsibility!”
Passenger delays flight for 2.5 hours
The incident caused the plane to remain grounded for 175 minutes, or more than 2.5 hours.
Some passengers, annoyed by the disruption, demanded that she disembark the plane. One frustrated passenger can be heard shouting in the video: “Get off!”
The crew tried to persuade the passenger to sit up, but their efforts were initially unsuccessful.
Police officers also came onboard to speak to her, informing her that the airline had the right to refuse passengers from boarding the plane.
The plane only departed 2.5 hours later after the passenger eventually agreed to sit up as required.
Incident sparks heated discussion online
The incident caused a heated debate on Chinese social media, with many criticising the woman’s behaviour on the plane, according to VN Express.
Some netizens expressed that the crew should have removed the passenger and blacklisted her from boarding in the future. “So many passengers were affected because of her,” one said.
Source: South China Morning Post
Others questioned the validity of her condition and believed she was trying to get compensation from the airline.
On the other hand, some defended the passenger, explaining that people should have been considerate towards her medical condition.
Air Guilin has not released any statement regarding the incident.
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Featured image adapted from Sina.
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