A Hong Kong-based airline has banned two passengers from ever flying with them again, after a fight broke out over a reclined seat and descended into xenophobic insults and harassment.
The incident occurred last week aboard a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to London, England, on Sept. 17. A female passenger named Iris, from mainland China, shared her experience in a video which she uploaded to social media platform Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), China’s version of Instagram.
“The lady sitting behind me asked me to put my seat up because it was blocking her husband’s view of the TV. I politely declined, and she started stretching her feet onto my armrest, kicking my arm and cursing at me like crazy,” she said, per CNN.
The middle-age husband and wife, she said, continued to harass her for about 30 minutes, pushing on her seat back and scolding her in Cantonese.
While people from Hong Kong mainly speak Cantonese, those from mainland China mainly speak Mandarin.
“When she realized I couldn’t speak Cantonese, she started calling me ‘mainland girl’ in a derogatory tone,” she said in her post, which showed the seat vibrating as the man shook the top.
The wife was also seen raising her middle finger at the woman, reported BBC.
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She said when she asked for help from a flight attendant, it was suggested that she straighten out her seat.
“I was shocked because it was not meal time, yet the flight attendant wanted me to compromise,” the woman said. “I rejected the suggestion.”
Other passengers started to intervene as well, speaking up for the woman who chose to recline.
“You’re old enough — why are you bullying a young girl?” a female voice can be heard in Mandarin. Others chimed in in Cantonese, saying: “You’re embarrassing us Hongkongers!” and “Stop saying you’re from Hong Kong!”
After the other passengers came to her defence, the flight attendant allowed Iris to change her seat.
“I felt it was absurd — what if no one had backed me up? Would I have just been left to deal with it on my own?” she said. “As a major airline, isn’t Cathay supposed to know how to handle such disputes? Shouldn’t treating passengers differently get some consequences?”
Apologizing for the incident, Cathay Pacific said in a statement on the weekend that it has banned the couple from its flights.
“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any behaviour that violates aviation safety regulations or disrespects the rights of other customers,” the airline said.
“We will deny future travel on any Cathay Group flights to the two customers involved in this incident,” it added.
According to the New York Post, the woman posted a follow-up video saying she believes the incident was “an isolated case and a personal issue” and that it didn’t “need to be blown out of proportion.”
“Whether on the plane or online, many Hong Kongers came to help and support me. There are still plenty of nice people in this world!” she added.
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