This Pair Is Prohibited From Riding Cathay Pacific Flights After Making Noise On The Plane

Illustration of the Cathay Pacific fleet. (Wikimedia Commons/Will Lanting)

JAKARTA - Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific airline has banned two passengers from boarding its flights, following an argument over the ethics of a reduced seat that led to xenophobia insults.

The incident occurred during a flight from Hong Kong to London on September 17. A female passenger from mainland China shared her experience in a video uploaded on Xiaohongshu (Small Red Book), China's version of Instagram.

"The woman sitting behind me asked me to raise my chair for blocking her husband's view on TV. I politely refused, and she started to put her foot on my back, kicked my arm and cursed at me like crazy," he said.

A flight attendant tried to mediate by suggesting the woman to raise her chair, but she refused, and the situation improved.

"When (the woman's passenger) realized that my Canton was not very good, she started making harsh comments, calling me 'land girl' and other demeaning words," the woman said.

It is known that most people from Hong Kong speak canton, while mainland Chinese speak mostly Mandarin.

"As soon as I started recording, her husband behind me even pushed his hand back and started shaking him hard. I felt my private space had been completely violated," added the woman, who said another passenger then intervened.

In the incident footage uploaded by the woman, a woman's voice is heard saying in Mandarin: "You're old enough why are you oppressing a young girl?"

And another heard shouting in Kanton: "You humiliated us Hong Kong people!" and "Stop saying you're from Hong Kong!"

"After several passengers defended me, the flight attendant finally said I could move seats. I felt it didn't make sense what if no one supported me? Would I be left to deal with it myself?" said the passenger.

"As a big airline, shouldn't Cathay know how to deal with such disputes? Doesn't treating passengers differently should have consequences?" he continued.

In a statement released last Saturday, Cathay Pacific said he wanted to " sincerely apologize" for "unpleasant experience."

"We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any behavior that violates aviation safety regulations or does not respect the rights of other customers," the airline said.

"We will refuse any upcoming trip on Cathay Group flights to the two customers involved in this incident."

It is known that the incident extended the long-standing debate and was often heated over the etiquette surrounding the seats that were donated on the plane, as well as highlighting the tension between people from mainland China and Hong Kongers as a result of political views and different cultural identities, and was sparked by 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

The woman then uploaded a follow-up video in which she said she thought the incident was a "isolated case and personal matter; no need to exaggerate."

"Both on planes and online, many Hong Kongers came to help and support me. There are still many good people in this world!" he added.