A plane passenger in China is being condemned online after being caught on video demanding an airport employee to kneel and apologize for his delayed flight due to adverse weather conditions.
The incident took place at the Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Henan, central China on Saturday, according to The Paper.
The unidentified male passenger and others were waiting to board their flight from Zhengzhou to Shenzhen on West Air, a budget airline affiliated to Hainan Airlines Group, the largest private airline in China.
In a now-viral clip, the passenger can be heard urging the airport worker to get on his knees and say sorry.
“You should kneel and apologize to us,” the passenger demanded while pointing his finger at the worker.
“I am a member of the staff. I do carry out my responsibilities. But there is no need for you to humiliate me,” the worker responded.
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However, the irate passenger defended his demands, “You must represent your company and apologize to us. Kneeling shows sincerity.”
Shortly, other passengers chimed in to ease the tension, questioning, “What would an apology achieve?”
According to the Daily Mail, a customer service representative confirmed that the two flights from Zhengzhou to Shenzhen scheduled that day had been delayed due to bad weather conditions.
The first flight (PN6311) was delayed for about an hour before taking off at 8:02 p.m., while the second flight (PN6322) was delayed for nearly four and a half hours before taking off at 2:30 a.m. the next day.
It’s unclear which flight caused the drama at the airport lobby on Saturday evening.
Nonetheless, social media users found the passenger’s behavior abhorrent, with many calling for appropriate repercussions in his social credit score:
“He should be banned from getting on any plane.”
“This is horrible. Bad weather is not the fault of the airport staff. Why?”
“Can this person be permanently blacklisted so he can never board a plane again?”
“Ban him from taking planes for the rest of his life, then make him kneel if he wants his punishment lifted.”
“Is this person mentally sick? Does he think he owns the airport for him to order people to kneel and live like it’s the Qing Dynasty?”
