Chinese passengers began loudly protesting and making a commotion after their Chongqing flight was repeatedly delayed from a scheduled 5:50pm Beijing local time departure on September 4.

Weibo accounts of the incident say Bangkok airport staff attempted to herd away the delayed Chinese passengers, thereby sparking the cantankerous protest. According to the Thailand Lifestyle Guide, the singing Chinese passengers were also taken away, although no more official details have been released.

As seen in the video of the incident (below), the protest begins with Chinese passengers simply making loud noises and howls. When women located near the person recording the video begin to sing the Chinese national anthem, many of the protesting Chinese passengers begin to join in, one by one. With the anthem growing louder and getting off-key, many of the protesting passengers are heard loudly shouting the Chinese anthem by the end of the video rather than trying to sing it.

The national anthem of the People’s Republic of China March of the Volunteers contains lyrics of rebellion and violence. The first line of the anthem is “Arise, all of you whom want to be slaves no more!” and ends with doubling a lyric that encourages singers to charge and brave enemy fire.

The national pride on display by the protesting Chinese passengers appears to be in response to perceived discrimination from Thai airport workers. One netizen who wrote about the incident said, “This isn’t just Thailand disrespecting us tourists, but also not treating us as equals.”

Another people spoke of the need for compensation. “None of us lack money, and the Chinese yuan is a currency respected worldwide. But do we want this compensation? Yes!““None of us lack money, and the Chinese yuan is a currency respected worldwide. But do we want this compensation? Yes!”

The Chinese passengers had three demands: for Bangkok Airport to give them a public apology; for a Boeing 747 to come fetch them and fly them back to China; and to receive compensation of RMB 1,000 ($157) each.

However, it does not appear that the protesting Chinese passengers got their wish. By the afternoon of September 5, all Chinese passengers are described to have returned to Chongqing on a 5am departing flight, including 33 passengers who attempted to refuse.

The name of the airline that delayed service to the passengers was not named in reports. However, it is likely that it is a domestic Chinese airliner since the passengers are not seeking compensation from their local travel agencies. As well, a Chongqing tourism bureau is investigating the incident.

Here’s the video:

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• Thai People Irate After Hong Kong Girl Bungee Jumps Naked
• Land of Smiles Turns to Frowns After More Misbehaving Chinese Tourists at Historic Bangkok Site

The post Angry Chinese Travellers Sing National Anthem in Protest at Bangkok Airport appeared first on The Nanfang.

Earlier Chinese reports showed a color-coded chart (below) purportedly used by the airline that indicates the ideal weight of a flight attendant as determined by her height. Qingdao Airlines flight attendants that allow their weight to fall into a “yellow zone” were supposedly grounded from flying, while those with a weight that fall into in a “red zone” are immediately terminated.

The Qingdao Airlines spokesperson denied these allegations, and explained their chart is not a tool for managing its current employees, but a guide for hiring new recruits:

The chart seen in the article refers to a standard that we use when hiring flight attendants. Every airline has their own recruiting requirements. Our company’s requirements are slightly high.

Qingdao Airlines’ own website under “Flight Attendant Recruiting” shows all new applicants must be under 30 years old and fall within this formula for weight: [height(cm)-110]=weight(kg)(1±10%). This means that a 165 centimeter-tall (5’5″) applicant must weigh no more than 50 kilograms (110 lbs), while a 172 centimeter-tall (5’8) applicant can be no more than 68 kilograms (150 lbs).

The Qingdao Airlines spokesperson said the vast majority of its flight attendants comply with its weight requirements. The spokesperson did not say what punitive actions would be taken if its company’s weight regulations were violated.

The spokesperson further clarified that flight attendants must adhere to their rigorous weight requirements as a way to maintain “flight safety”:

We consider that if the weight of a flight attendant is excessive, her ability to react during an emergency situation will be inadequate, which is why we hope they will be able to maintain their figures.

China’s National Civil Aviation Bureau also thinks the weight of a flight attendant is relevant to the safe operation of an airliner. A representative for the bureau confirmed there is a correlation between the weight of a flight crew member and aircraft safety because when calculating the load of an airplane, the total weight of a flight crew must be taken into account. Therefore, the representative said, the weight of a flight attendant can not be excessive.

No standards pertaining to the weight of pilots was mentioned in the report.

An unnamed veteran manager of the Chinese airline industry calls the Qingdao weight regulations “a human rights violation”. The manager says that flight attendants are treated unfairly given that “the calculation of the load of a plane usually lists every adult on board as being 72 kilograms without having to specifically weigh them.”

Other developments in the Chinese airline industry this week reveal more questionable treatment of flight attendants.

Shanghai Airlines also cited “flight safety” when it was criticized this week after it revealed company policy allowed management to hold final approval when its employees want to get married. Flight attendants, security guards and pilots working for Shanghai Airlines must all provide information about their spouses-to-be to the company.

In an online statement, Shanghai Airlines said it wanted to find out to whom their workers were getting married before it was too late. “It is common in the civil aviation industry for companies to investigate their employees’ families to determine if they have a criminal record,” the statement read. “It is mainly to ensure flight safety.”

Although China’s marriage law states no one has the right to interfere in the marriages of other people, Shanghai Airlines says their policy has been in place for a long time.

Related:

• “Ghost-like” look of Shenzhen Airlines stewardesses scaring passengers
• Mainland Chinese Passengers, Claiming Discrimination, Attack Hong Kong Airlines Staff Over Delays

The post Chinese Airline Grounds Flight Attendants Who Become “Too Fat” to Fly appeared first on The Nanfang.

Zhao was transferring to a Wenzhou flight at Beijing Airport at noon on August 21 when she was stopped at airport security. A worker told the woman in her forties that she was not able to bring the imported cognac through the security checkpoint in her carry-on. As it was too late to transfer the cognac to her checked-in luggage, Zhao did what any responsible person that hates wasting food would do: she sat down in a corner and drank the entire bottle of cognac herself.

That created a new security problem though, and it had to do with the bottle of cognac that was now inside her.

Zhao started acting wildly and yelling incoherently. Due to her massive inebriation, when Zhao fell to the floor, that’s where she stayed. When police arrived at the scene, they decided not to let her board her flight out of concern that she had become a security risk to others and herself as Zhao was travelling alone.

Zhao was taken to a convalescence room and was checked out by a doctor. It wasn’t until 7pm when she sobered up and realized what she had done. Zhao was eventually released by police to her family who had come to Beijing Airport to escort her home.

Hard choices have been made before at security checkpoints in Chinese airports. This past June, two brothers were stopped at the security checkpoint at Guangzhou Airport for having wine stashed in their carry-on. The brothers explained that this wine had special medicinal properties used to help male fertility. However, the security workers were adamant in enforcing regulations, and so the brothers decided to drink the RMB 8,000 bottle of wine themselves (below).

And if you’re thinking this would make a funny scene in a Chinese movie, well, it already has been. In Xu Zheng’s breakout hit Lost on Journey (2010), Wang Baoqiang’s yokel character is prevented by airport security from bringing a drink onto the airplane, so he decides to drink it himself. Of course, the distinction here is that Wang’s character chugs down an entire bottle of milk.

The post No Liquid Allowed in Carry On, Woman Drinks Entire Bottle of Cognac at Beijing Airport Security appeared first on The Nanfang.

An Air Canada flight was forced to return to Beijing Airport after a Chinese passenger attacked a flight attendant on Tuesday.

Flight AC32 was flying over Russian airspace two hours into its journey towards Toronto when the incident happened in the plane’s business class cabin. According to a passenger on board the plane, the attacker was trying to sexually assault the flight attendant, but the Chinese media have not said whether the assault was sexual in nature. The pilot requested an emergency landing in Japan but was refused, so decided to turn back to Beijing. The attacker was then taken away by police.

Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick told Hong Kong’s Ming Pao that due to a disturbance two hours into the flight between a passenger and crew member, the plane was forced to return and land in Beijing. According to the report, Fitzpatrick did not elaborate on what happened.

The flight was delayed for six hours in Beijing before restarting its 13-hour non-stop journey. AC32 eventually arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport at 11:38am. It was originally scheduled to arrive at 6:21pm.

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• Soho CEO Pan Shiyi Denies Striking Airline Attendant as Photos Go Viral [UPDATED]

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Chinese airliners have stepped up security after an arson attack on a Guangzhou-bound flight a few weeks ago, but there’s no security tight enough to stop the stinky scourge of parents letting their kids poo in public on airplanes.

Last Saturday on West Air flight PN6233 from Zhengzhou to Nantong, a post on Weibo showed a child relieving himself in an aisle of the plane (pictured above). Fortunately for the passengers, it took place towards the end of the flight as it was descending into Nantong.

And then just yesterday, a Weibo post showed a child defecating on board Shenzhen Airlines flight ZH9709 from Nanjing to Guangzhou. This one, though, might be worse: after a passenger complained saying both bathrooms were vacant, the parents said the bathrooms were too small anyway so they used the back of the plane because it had more room.

That could be the most infuriating part of the story, except for this: the plane hadn’t taken off yet.

Related:

• Father Takes Baby To Pee Into Dirty Dishes at Anhui Restaurant
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• Woman takes a shit on the platform of Shenzhen subway station
• Photo of boy taking a shit on Guangzhou subway goes viral

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Chinese passengers have gotten a bad rap in the news lately for poor behavior, but this time it’s not like they can be blamed for flying off the handle.

Twenty-eight people on board a Hainan Airlines flight to Beijing were injured yesterday when they suddenly achieved weightlessness and flew around the cabin, crashing into the ceiling and walls. Flight HU7148 was on route from Chengdu when passengers on board the plane encountered an unspecified “disturbance” around 2pm. At this time, personal effects like cellphones began to fly into the air as did passengers that were not strapped into their seats.

Passengers onboard the flight described the incident as being completely chaotic. Passenger Mr Lin did not have his seat beat fastened at this time, and said he flew up to the ceiling of the airplane. Miss Kan, another passenger, said luggage was flying everywhere during the period of weightlessness. As seen in pictures of the interior of the plane, walls of the plane cabin is seen to have been damaged by impact. Passengers who flew out of their seats sustained head injuries and some had cracked teeth.

Passengers also complained the airline crew didn’t tell them what was going on. Mr Lin said it was 20 minutes after the weightlessness when the cabin staff finally used the public address system to talk to the passengers, informing them they would arrive in Beijing within ten minutes. At this time, the captain said the plane had earlier hit some turbulence.

Passenger and Weibo user @PhotoByJade said she could hear the flight crew sob in fear as they used the public address system. Another passenger with the Weibo handle @kanshijie said when stewardesses finally did appear in the passenger cabin ten minutes after the incident, some of them had visible head injuries.

The A330 airbus arrived ahead of schedule in Beijing at 2:17pm. All 28 people were taken to hospital, some of them with serious injuries.

Hainan Airlines said the incident happened when the plane was descending to an elevation of 4,200 meters. An investigation into the cause of the incident is now underway.

The post Severe Turbulence On Board a Beijing-bound Plane Leaves Scores Injured appeared first on The Nanfang.

Two passengers were also given awards of RMB 30,000 ($4,800) for their efforts to thwart the attack.

Upon landing, all passengers were evacuated using emergency slides. Two people were taken to hospital for their injuries.

Chinese media showed video of the flight crew pleading with passengers to “trust us, we can take care of this!” and “don’t panic, sit down and secure yourselves.” The crew was also heard asking whether “there [were] any soldiers or armed police on board?”

One passenger, Mr Zheng, reported that the flight crew had asked women and children to move to the tail of the plane, and had encouraged male passengers to stand up and stop the arsonist using their luggage.

At the same time, the CCAC shutdown Taizhou Airport in China’s eastern Zhejiang Province, the point of origin for the Shenzhen Airlines flight, for a security breach.

The post Airline Staff That Thwarted Attempted Arson Rewarded For Their Bravery appeared first on The Nanfang.

Last Sunday night, a man armed with a knife set fire using gasoline to the door of flight ZH9648 after having passed through the security check at Taizhou Airport. The incident happened during the plane’s descent to land at Guangzhou Airport, at which point passengers were evacuated from the plane using emergency slides.

Two people were taken to hospital for their injuries. The passenger who set the fire is reported to be in police custody.

Citing a serious breach of security, the eastern branch of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) decided Tuesday night to suspend all operations at Taizhou Airport beginning yesterday. To help with the overhaul of airport security, the CAAC will send a contingent of its own staff to supervise airport management.

The incident has resulted in the immediate firing of several staff. The director of the Taizhou branch of the CAAC has been sacked as has its deputy and other top leaders. All Taizhou Airport employees on duty at the time of the security breach have been fired.

Meanwhile, video taken on board the plane has emerged, showing airline staff desperately trying to maintain order as passengers panic in the aftermath of the fire.

Airline staff are seen pleading with passengers, saying things like “Trust us, we can take care of this (situation)!” and “Don’t panic, sit down and secure yourselves.” As well, cabin staff are heard asking passengers, “Are there any soldiers or armed police (on board the plane)?”

In an interview with CCTV, passenger Li Qiang gives this harrowing account:

At first he (the suspect) began hitting the door, after which he attempted to start a fire. He was successful, and the fire grew in intensity for about five seconds or so. Since I smelled kerosene, it seemed like he poured it onto a curtain. When the fire lit up, the whole cabin filled up with black smoke. It was hard to breathe at that time; some kind of black material filled up our noses.

Initial reports don’t mention the suspect was in the possession of a knife, only saying that a passenger was subdued for having disrupted the safe operation of an airliner for having damaged equipment on board the plane.

An eyewitness account quoted previously by Shanghai Daily said the suspect was in possession of a knife. As well, the eyewitness said the man was not subdued after setting the fire, and even escaped from the plane.

The post Airport that Allowed Guy to Smuggle Gasoline and a Knife On Board Admits It Has a Security Problem appeared first on The Nanfang.

Poor behavior of airline passengers and tensions between Hong Kong and the Mainland are two frequent topics in the Chinese news, and they’ve now come together with an explosive result.

Six mainland Chinese passengers have been arrested by police for assaulting seven Hong Kong Airlines staff after they attempted to enter a restricted area of the Hong Kong International Airport.

Over a hundred passengers scheduled for flight HX304 en route to Beijing were delayed for more than six hours, causing passengers to loudly protest at around 2am. When a female passenger ran into a restricted boarding area, seven Hong Kong Airline workers attempted to stop her. This resulted in five other passengers coming forward to physically attack them.

Three male and four female Hong Kong airline workers were taken to hospital for medical treatment. Arrested for common assault are three male and three female mainland passengers, between 21 and 42 years of age.

So far, this news story seems to be all about airline delays and not about the cultural divide that separates Hong Kong and mainland China. But according to an online post from mainland passenger and Weibo user “What Style Becomes of Words” that was caught in the delay, this whole story is all about discrimination against mainland Chinese:

They’re always discriminating against us mainlanders by refusing to resolve (this problem); and then they even knocked down an old lady. The most exasperating thing can be seen in the last pictures (posted below) in which these arrogant stewardesses can be seen insulting us mainland Beijingers by giving us supercilious looks. And then they have the nerve to tell us ‘You mainlanders aren’t all that important, for this is Hong Kong!’

The reason for the six hour delay wasn’t mentioned in reports, but a crippling rainstorm burst in Beijing at the moment of the plane’s departure.

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Security is being tightened around China after a man tried to start a fire on board a passenger aircraft.

An investigation into a security breach at Taizhou Airport in Zhejiang Province is underway after a passenger started a fire that damaged the plane interior during its descent to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on the early morning of July 26.

The arson attempt was on board Shenzhen Airlines flight ZH9648 and caused a door of the airplane to be singed black, while cushions to a passenger seat were partially charred.

Ninety-five passengers and nine flight crew were evacuated from the plane using emergency slides after landing at Guangzhou Airport not long after midnight. Two injured people were taken to hospital for medical treatment.

As for what actually happened on the flight, accounts vary depending on whom you ask.

A statement by Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport issued directly after the incident said the disruptive suspect was immediately subdued by cabin staff and other passengers for having “damaged the airliner’s equipment” without mentioning that a fire had been set. It also said the suspect is in police custody.

However, an eyewitness on board the plane said the suspect had time to set two fires, and then escaped from the plane without having been subdued. Some reports said the man used gasoline to help start the fires.

In an interview with Qianjing Evening News, passenger Huang Caihong said the suspect, a first-class male passenger between 40 to 50 years of age, was carrying a shoulder bag and a number of newspapers with him. “He lit the newspapers, but the fire was put out by cabin crew,” said Huang

Besides having an incendiary device, Huang said the man was in possession of a knife, another item banned from airline travel in China.

Huang said the man used the knife to threaten other passengers as he walked back to the economy class area, warning everyone to refrain from moving. However, two male airline staff forced him to stop while other passengers blocked his way with luggage.

At this point, Huang said the man returned to the first class section, where he set another fire.

“The cabin was engulfed with choking smoke,” Huang said. “Fortunately, the plane soon landed. If we had stayed in cabin for another five to six minutes, we could all have died.”

Huang said the man escaped from the plane by jumping from an open door while the other passengers left using the emergency slides.

Shanghai Daily cites an online report that said the suspect hit his head upon jumping from the plane, and is currently receiving medical treatment.

The main part of the investigation will center on Taizhou airport, and how the man got through security with gasoline and a knife.

Related:

• Angry at Delay, Shenzhen Passenger Threatens to Blow Up Airplane
• Man Arrested For Attacking Flight Attendant During Takeoff
• Flying Fists at Row #27 After Crying Child Prompts In-Flight Melee
• China’s Decision to Keep a Blacklist of Misbehaving Tourists Sparks a Lively Online Debate

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