Passenger dragged off Thai Lion Air flight after row over emergency exit seat request
SINGAPORE: A passenger was dragged off a Thai Lion Air plane on Wednesday (Jun 25) after reportedly demanding a change of seats as his window seat did not have enough legroom.
The man became upset and got into a row with flight attendants after his request to be moved to an emergency exit seat was denied, according to the New York Post and People magazine. Such seats are more expensive as they typically provide more legroom compared to standard economy seats.
In a viral video posted on X, authorities were seen yanking the passenger, who was wearing a bright orange Garfield shirt, out of his seat. The man's arms were held together as he was dragged down the aisle and off the plane, with at least five people accompanying him.
Fellow passengers called the man "selfish" and told him to "get off the plane", while another was heard saying: "When you said apologise for the first thing I said, don't forget that."
The Mirror reported that the man's refusal to cooperate meant that the plane's departure from Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport was delayed by an hour.
The US Federal Aviation Administration noted in August 2024 that airlines had reported more than 1,240 unruly passenger cases that year.
Some airlines like Ryanair have opted to tackle disruptive behaviour by imposing fines. Ryanair, Europe's biggest airline by passenger numbers, said in a statement on Jun 12 that "disruptive passengers whose unruly behaviour" result in their removal from aircraft would be fined €500 (US$585).
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