Airline bans couple after reclined seat spat turns into harassment, slurs
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.
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
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