“Bought an economy ticket, sat in business class” ... Chinese woman eventually forced off plane

[Financial News]  A female passenger in China who bought an economy-class ticket took an empty business-class seat without authorization and refused to move, before being dragged out of the cabin by police. The aircraft reportedly had to halt its takeoff because she would not leave the seat despite repeated requests from the flight attendants.
A video showing a female passenger being stopped by police after unlawfully occupying a business-class seat at Beijing Capital International Airport in China was recently posted on X.
At the time of the incident, A was an economy-class passenger. While the aircraft was taxiing for takeoff, A spotted an empty business-class seat, left her own seat and sat there.
The flight attendants repeatedly told A to return to the seat assigned on her ticket. But A refused to comply with their requests and caused a disturbance.
The aircraft halted its takeoff when A refused to move. The flight attendants asked her to get off the plane, but A stayed in the business-class seat, lying down under a blanket.
The video showed police officers entering the cabin, grabbing both of A’s arms and trying to lift her from the seat as she held out in business class.
A leaned back and shouted loudly as she resisted the police. The disturbance ended when officers responding to a call from the flight attendants escorted her out of the cabin.
During a confrontation with police, A reportedly claimed she was a student in the law department at Peking University. However, it has not been confirmed whether she is actually enrolled at the university.
The public security bureau at Beijing Capital International Airport also explained the circumstances in an official statement. According to the bureau, while the aircraft was moving on the ground, A ignored the flight attendants’ instructions, moved to a different cabin class and occupied a seat without authorization. She then refused to return to her original seat when asked.
Police said the airline had refused to let A board in order to maintain safety and order on the aircraft. Airport police then took steps to remove the woman from the aircraft in accordance with relevant laws.


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter