Cathay Pacific bans couple after reclining seat debacle

Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific has banned a couple from its flights after a row took place with a mainland Chinese passenger over her reclining seat.

The Chinese woman took to social media after the flight on September 17, claiming she was harassed by the Hong Kong couple sat behind her on the Cathay flight after she reclined her seat.

On Sunday, the airline publicly announced that it had added the couple to its no-fly list, citing its strict zero-tolerance policy towards behaviours that disrespect fellow passengers.

The Chinese woman’s post on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu had gathered more than 194,000 likes by Monday morning, with mixed opinions shared by others online.

The passenger detailed how the middle-aged married couple blamed her for blocking their view of the in-flight television and asked her to move her seat to the upright position.

She refused to do so, which was met with the wife stretching her legs and putting her feet on the armrests, before arguing with her in Cantonese and allegedly slapping her arm.

"When she realised I couldn't speak Cantonese, she started calling me 'mainland girl' in a derogatory tone," the passenger said.

The husband also took part in the alleged harassment from his seat directly behind her, “frantically pushing” the back of her seat. This claim was accompanied by a video of the seat vibrating.

Another clip showed the wife raising her middle finger at the woman.

The passenger sought help from a flight attendant, who advised her to straighten her seat.

"I was shocked because it was not mealtime, yet the flight attendant wanted me to compromise," the woman said. "I rejected the suggestion."

Several other passengers who were witnesses to the incident criticised the Hong Kong couple's behaviour, with one person writing: "Don't call yourself a Hong Konger, you bully.” Another said, "This is too much. How old are you? Why are you bullying a young girl?"

"If they want more space, they should have paid for first-class seats," one person added.

Several commenters made efforts to defend Hong Kong's reputation, despite this couple, with one saying "Most people in Hong Kong are kind, this couple is an exception."

There was also a lively debate in the comments about whether reclining seats are rude or not in situations like this, with some saying that it’s a built-in function and therefore acceptable, while others said it makes things uncomfortable for passengers around you and is selfish behaviour.

Rows on flights are not uncommon, with easyJet staff having to intervene when one couple became inappropriate on a flight , and James Corden defended fellow passengers during a “hellish flight”.

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