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Flying Fists at Row #27 After Crying Child Prompts In-Flight Melee

Posted: 12/18/2014 4:12 pm

chongqing hong kong airline fightIt seems there is nothing that can stop the disruptive behavior caused by Chinese passengers on international flights these days.

Yesterday morning at around 9 on Air China flight CA433 from Chongqing to Hong Kong, Chinese passengers started fighting. It began when two women objected to a crying baby behind them, while the baby’s mother was angry that the people in front kept reclining their seat. It erupted into flying fists not long afterwards.

Thankfully the airplane did not have to turn around because of the fight, like the Air Asia flight that returned to Bangkok after a Chinese couple threw hot water onto a stewardess.

Dealing with unruly passengers has become a problem. In this case, they were forced to pay a fine. But a tourist authority has threatened the Air Asia passengers with being put on a blacklist. There have been no criminal charges in either case.

Angry Chinese travellers seem to be popping up everywhere these days. In March, a video was taken of a fight between Chinese passengers when one’s luggage touched the other passenger’s foot. On a flight from Thailand to Beijing this past April, a fight broke out between three Chinese passengers over loud eating sounds in which cutlery was used as weapons.

In September during a flight from Zurich to Beijing, an airliner had to return to the Swiss capital when a fight between two Chinese nationals occurred over the positioning of a seat rest. Later that month, a fight between two Chinese passengers over an empty seat at the back happened on a flight to Shanghai.

If punishment can’t deter bad behavior by Chinese passengers, then maybe an appeal to their own personal safety will succeed where all else has failed.

Zou Jianjun, a professor at the China Civil Aviation Management Cadre Academy, warns against fighting on airplanes. Zou said the the balance and equilibrium of an airplane can be affected by physical altercations, and in serious cases can cause the plane to crash.

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Photo: Yangcheng Evening Report, Sohu News

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Impatient Passenger Deploys Airplane’s Emergency Slide to “Get Off The Plane Quicker”

Posted: 12/15/2014 10:30 am

emergency slide sanya airport china easternOnly days after a Chinese couple threw boiling water at a flight attendant and threatened to blow up the plane, another case has emerged involving a Chinese passenger who has a hard time following the rules.

When China Eastern flight MU2331 from Xi’an arrived at Sanya Fenghaung International Airport in Hainan, a particularly impatient passenger decided to open an emergency exit, and in the process, deploy an emergency slide.

When questioned by authorities about why he opened the door, he responded: “to get off the plane quicker.” He claims he did not pay attention to the safety briefing at the beginning of the flight, and did not know to only use the emergency slide in case of emergency.

emergency slide sanya airport china easternAs a result of the incident, the return flight MU2332, scheduled to leave at 9:50pm, was delayed until 11:41pm.

Aviation experts say the cost to repair and replace the opened cabin door and emergency slide is approximately RMB 100,000 (over $16,000).

emergency slide sanya airport china easternemergency slide sanya airport china easternPhotos: Sohu, Xinhua

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Chinese Couple, Throwing Hot Water and Threatening to Blow Up Plane, Force Return to Bangkok

Posted: 12/12/2014 2:09 pm

thailand flight air rageRaucous behavior by some Chinese passengers on-board a Thai airliner from Bangkok to Nanjing resulted in some tense moments for passengers and a return to Don Mueang Airport in the Thai capital.

Witnesses on Air Asia flight 9101 say a man threatened to blow up the plane and his girlfriend told other passengers she wanted to commit suicide, which led to the decision to turn around. But the couple, in their 20s, had been drawing attention to themselves for a while by that point.

The couple loudly objected when they discovered they were not sitting together, which happened because they were part of a tour group and were seated in alphabetical order. A flight attendant fixed the situation and found seats for them together, but they still complained loudly.

thailand flight air rageThen in flight, the woman bought a bowl of instant noodles from the flight attendants and asked for boiling water. When she got it, she splashed it on the flight attendant.

During the fracas that followed, the man threatened to blow up the plane as his girlfriend threatened to kill herself. The couple finally calmed down once other passengers became involved.

After arriving back in Bangkok, police entered the plane and took the couple away.

thailand flight air ragePhotos: Weibo (2)

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Irate Passengers Break Into Cockpit Over Smog Delays

Posted: 11/3/2014 11:00 am

plane in smogWe all know that flight delays and air pollution are both common in China. But what we may not know is that one can might be making the other worse.

Just last week a flight from Guangzhou to Harbin was forced to land in Shenyang, Liaoning due to low visibility caused by heavy smog in harbin, reports China Daily.

The following the day, the re-scheduled flight again tried to fly to Harbin, but was forced to return to Shenyang when the heavy smog just wouldn’t let up. After landing in Shenyang, the flight was finally canceled, but not before six passengers refused to get off the plane. Two of the women were so upset that they broke down the door to the cockpit, barged their way in, and argued with the co-pilot.

One of the women, a Miss Li, said that she lost her head and tried to break into the cockpit because of the long delays and the bad attitude of airline staff.

I don’t really understand these (laws), and wasn’t thinking of the consequences. Right now, I’m really sorry.

The incident ended about 20 minutes later.

According to airport security, breaking into the cockpit means 10 to 15 days in police custody.

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Photo: China Daily

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Enough with Flight Delays, Consumer Group Says Airlines Need to Compensate Passengers

Posted: 10/24/2014 6:14 pm

scheduled flight signYou haven’t really experienced air travel in China until you’ve been stuck in a plane that has waited hours to take off. The notorious delays have led to violence at some of China’s airports, with some frustrated passengers holding our for compensation on an ad hoc basis.

Things might improve, however. The China Consumer Association says its time for Chinese airlines to compensate passengers for delayed and cancelled flights, lost or destroyed luggage, unclear information, and improper service.

The association says current compensation mechanisms do not reflect consumer needs, and want public feedback on its proposals.

However, how compensation is calculated – and how much it should be – hasn’t been determined.

Photo: Beijing Youth Report

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Mobile Phones and In-Flight WiFi Coming to Chinese Flights in 2016

Posted: 10/1/2014 3:05 pm

Airline passengers could be allowed to use their mobile phones throughout the entire flight when travelling on Chinese airlines, Beijing Times reported on September 29. The new functionality is expected to be rolled out in 2016.

The report came on heels of a decision by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to lift a ban that prohibits passengers from using mobile phones during flights.

Passengers travelling with Chinese airlines are currently required to keep their mobile phones off for the entire flight to stop the devices from emitting radio signals that could, at least theoretically, interfere with the aircraft’s navigation system. This means even airplane mode is not allowed, although many countries in Europe and the Americas permit their travellers to put devices in airplane mode during flights.

The new rule, if passed would allow travellers to use their phones in airplane mode when flying at or above 3,000 meters. Zhou Hong, an aviation expert, said the new bill will likely pass.

The loosening on phone use during flights could also pave the way for onboard WiFi services in the country, the report said. Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines are testing inflight WiFi systems and phone calls. The country’s telecommunication companies are also working with Chinese airlines to study the possibility of making phone calls during flights, said He Guili, director of Tai’er Lab under the Ministry of Information and Industry Technology.

Photos: College Humor 

 

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Kneeling is the Hottest Trend in Chinese Customer Service

Posted: 09/15/2014 10:30 am

kneeling stewardessesThe customer is king, and now Chinese businesses are starting to take that adage quite literally. Airlines in China are at the cutting edge of the hottest trend in customer service in China: kneeling.

Based on initial feedback, male customers love it. To best serve passengers, flight attendants adopt a uniform kneeling stance: both feet on the ground, one knee up with the other down, back straight, and both hands in the lap, just like so:

kneeling stewardesses

Flight attendants are taught the stance in large classes, where they receive instruction as they practice together in a line:

kneeling stewardesseskneeling stewardesses

The public can’t seem to get enough of it. To meet demand, pictorials shown on Caijing show flight attendants in the position.

kneeling stewardesses

Or stretching:

kneeling stewardesses

Or in this context, which just might be the beginning of a music video of a teen idol group, as directed by the late Stanley Kubrick:

kneeling stewardesses

“Kneeling service” has been noticed by many netizens, who have sounded off on the topic on Wiebo:

江南丑：
Upon seeing this, I have to cover my crotch.

山地情怀竹青：
Isn’t this to try to get them to show off their underwear? What’s good about this? Is this some kind of set deal you get at the airport with a bowl of beef noodles and a rice box? Take after the economical airlines (that offer competitive prices) and you will be king of the world…

南言-沚隐：
My gosh, these photographs are enticing. If only their blouses were opened just one button more, then that would be perfect…

囚笼里的小狼：
This is too artificial; bending at the waist should be enough. Are service personnel people as well? Don’t they need to be respected too?

咸鱼二两：
I’m not able to hold back upon seeing these photos. If they were to kneel for me right now, I’d…

非冰：
Are you sure these short skirts aren’t from a porn video?

TTC1994:
Long, white legs [lovestruck.emo]

做个僵尸好难：
Take a look at the fatties and matrons stewardesses of US airlines. Now, take a look again at our own airlines and the torture we put these young women through

路一直都在best：
I’ve taken the airlines over dozens of times, and have only encountered two pretty girls. [crytears.emo]

小妖妈妈咪呀：
Stewardesses work really hard; must they also must be tormented in this way as well?

kneeling stewardesses

We’ve heard from the male customers; but, we wonder what female customers think of “kneeling service”. Or, for that matter, what the flight attendants think.

Photos: Yang-Tse Evening Report, Caijing

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Jet Aimlessly Circles Chinese Airport Because Air Traffic Controllers Fell Asleep

Posted: 08/20/2014 1:50 pm

china easternA passenger airliner attempting to land at Wuhan airport was left circling above the airport for 12 minutes because two air traffic controllers had fallen asleep.

China Eastern Airlines flight MU2528 was arriving in Wuhan from Sanya in the early morning of July 8. However, pilots aboard the Boeing 737 were forced to delay landing when it failed to receive permission from ground control. In fact, it received no contact at all.

Fortunately the controllers eventually emerged from their slumber, allowing the airliner to land safely.

A report released by the civil aviation bureau disclosed details of the incident, reports Caijing. It was released on Tuesday, and is dated July 29. It says this about the delayed landing:

…multiple attempts to contact the air traffic tower were not answered by anyone during (the plane’s) approach (to the airport) because air traffic controllers on duty had fallen asleep, and so (pilots) were not able to establish communication. Afterwards, (upon making contact with the pilots), air traffic controllers directed the plane to come around in another circuit (to make another approach).

A transcript of the radio communications showed the pilots tried several times to reach air traffic control but failed. That’s when they decided to circle the airport until contact was re-established.

Photo: China Eastern 

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Air France Staff Praised For Helping At Scene of Shanghai Car Crash

Posted: 07/28/2014 1:56 pm

shanghai traffic accident foreign good samaritansForeigners who helped out at the scene of a traffic accident in Shanghai have been hailed as “foreign Lei Fengs”, reports iFeng.

It started in the morning of July 27 when two cars headed towards Pudong Airport were involved in a traffic collision. Five people in one of the vehicles were hurt, and another four were ejected from the car. One of those has sustained life-threatening injuries.

It just so happened that at the same time, some Air France staff were driving by the scene and got out of their vehicle.  The French airline staff provided medical aid and directed traffic with safety vests on.

The report emphasizes the airline personnel were not directly involved in the accident, but were simply passing by when they decided to get involved.shanghai traffic accident foreign good samaritansshanghai traffic accident foreign good samaritansshanghai traffic accident foreign good samaritans

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Photos: iFeng, Guangzhou Daily

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Anger As Chinese Toddler Empties Bowels in Aisle of US-bound Flight

Posted: 07/24/2014 12:00 pm
delta airline child poop

From a previous incident that occurred in 2013.

When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go.

That was the case for one toddler on board a Beijing to Detroit Delta Airlines flight. The kid urgently had to go to the bathroom — so urgently, in fact, there was no time to go to the lavatory on board. So the kid’s father laid a newspaper down in the isle and the child squat and pinched.

Other passengers requested the child’s parents to take the child to the bathroom. However, the child’s grandfather, who was also on the flight, persisted in having the child make full use of the newspaper. Airline staff were unable to stop the airborne bodily evacuation from happening.

Fellow passenger Mr Wang from Oregon said the family made all Chinese people lose face, reports the World Journal.

[h/t @niubi]

Photo: 163

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