Latest news with #ThaiLionAir
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Tourist dragged off plane by police after demanding to sit in exit row
A plus-size tourist has been dragged out of a plane by the belt after allegedly demanding an emergency aisle seat for his bigger frame. The unidentified passenger reportedly complained there was not enough room in his window seat on the Thai Lion Air flight from Bangkok on Wednesday. The man – seen wearing an orange Garfield shirt with the words 'too busy doing nothing' – allegedly threw a tantrum after his request to be transferred to the emergency exit seat was denied. The man's outburst was said to have delayed the flight by around an hour before police arrived to drag him off the Boeing 737 aircraft. Extraordinary footage shows officers yanking the stubborn passenger out of his seat before he then lies down, blocking the aisle in protest. Furious passengers can be heard screaming at him to 'get out of the way' and 'get off the plane' while another calls him 'selfish' while undergoing the drag of shame. Eventually, police were able to remove the man from the aircraft by carrying him by his arms, legs and belt. An onlooker who caught the moment on video said: 'At first, I thought we couldn't take off because the man had fallen ill. It turned out he just thought the economy seat was too crowded and insisted on moving to the emergency exit. 'The flight attendants had to call the police because he refused to co-operate.' The flight took off around an hour later from the Don Mueang International Airport (DMK). The clip, which has since gone viral, has gathered thousands of comments from furious viewers. 'How embarrassing!' said one viewer. 'More and more adults are acting like toddlers on planes,' said another. has contacted Thai Lion Air for comment. The incident has once again reignited the debate about plus-size travel, with a growing number of people calling for more inclusive airline policies. In 2023, American influencer Jaelynn Chaney launched a campaign for plus-sized travellers to be given free airline seats so they can fly comfortably. Ms Chaney started a petition calling for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to 'mandate that all airlines have a comprehensive customer-of-size policy that prioritises the comfort and wellbeing of ALL passengers'. The petition, which had a goal of 50,000 signatures, reached just over 39,000. U.S. based airline Southwest has had a longstanding 'customer of size' policy that aims to 'protect the comfort and safety of everyone on board.' The policy allows plus-size passengers to purchase additional seats ahead of time and then contact the airline for a refund of the cost of the additional seating after travel. After going viral on social media in 2023, a heated discussion was sparked over the 'fairness' of the 30-year policy. 'I'm overweight and I don't agree with this,' wrote one user. 'Why should other passengers have to foot this bill?' wrote another. Others, were all for the initiative, branding it 'inclusive and ahead of its time.' 'Every airline should be doing this,' said one. 'Other airlines should learn from them!,' agreed another. 'Absolutely love this,' said a third.
CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
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).
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Passenger Forcibly Dragged Off Plane by Arms and Belt After Alleged Tantrum Over Changing Seats
A passenger was forcibly dragged off a Thai Lion Air flight after his request for a bigger seat was allegedly denied by the flight crew Video footage obtained by PEOPLE shows the man pulled out of his seat and into the aisle by police A fellow passenger can be heard calling the man "f------ selfish" as he was removedVideo footage shows a passenger forcibly dragged off a plane after throwing an alleged tantrum on Wednesday, June 25, a Thai Lion Air flight departing Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok was delayed about an hour so authorities could remove a disruptive traveler. The man — shown in videos obtained by PEOPLE wearing an orange Garfield t-shirt and green cargo shorts — allegedly became upset after his request for a different seat from the one he was assigned was denied by flight attendants. 'At first, I thought we couldn't take off because the man had fallen ill,' said one man who recorded video footage, according to Viral Press. 'It turned out he just thought the economy seat was too crowded and insisted on moving to the emergency exit. The flight attendants had to call the police because he refused to cooperate." The denial allegedly resulted in an outburst, lasting nearly an hour. To put an end to the delay, authorities boarded the Boeing 737 to remove the traveler. Amid his ongoing refusal, two officers grabbed his arms and dragged him onto the ground and into the aisle. Then, the video shows the man grabbing his phone to record the incident himself. In another part of the video taken from a different angle, a female on board can be heard saying 'he's f------ selfish,' as he's pulled down the aisle. The removal required one officer to drag him by the arms and another dragging him by the belt. Another passenger is heard yelling 'get out the plane.' Thai Lion Air did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. This isn't the first time footage of flyers removed off a flight went viral. Earlier this month, on June 17, a 32-year-old female New York resident was restrained and removed from a Southwest flight from LaGuardia to Kansas City. Footage showed her pulling the hair of and spitting on a fellow flyer. Following her outburst, the passenger was removed from the flight and subsequently charged with aggravated assault, according to a statement from the Port Authority Police obtained by PEOPLE. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Another clip filmed by a fellow passenger that surfaced online showed the woman finally being removed from the plane. Port Authority Police had to roll the woman out of the gate area strapped to a gurney. Several of her fellow passenger can be seen filming the scene in the background. 'The suspect was transported to the hospital for evaluation and subsequently placed in the custody of the New York City Department of Correction,' a Port Authority PD representative said. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Passenger Forcibly Dragged Off Plane by Arms and Belt After Alleged Tantrum Over Changing Seats
A passenger was forcibly dragged off a Thai Lion Air flight after his request for a bigger seat was allegedly denied by the flight crew Video footage obtained by PEOPLE shows the man pulled out of his seat and into the aisle by police A fellow passenger can be heard calling the man "f------ selfish" as he was removedVideo footage shows a passenger forcibly dragged off a plane after throwing an alleged tantrum on Wednesday, June 25, a Thai Lion Air flight departing Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok was delayed about an hour so authorities could remove a disruptive traveler. The man — shown in videos obtained by PEOPLE wearing an orange Garfield t-shirt and green cargo shorts — allegedly became upset after his request for a different seat from the one he was assigned was denied by flight attendants. 'At first, I thought we couldn't take off because the man had fallen ill,' said one man who recorded video footage, according to Viral Press. 'It turned out he just thought the economy seat was too crowded and insisted on moving to the emergency exit. The flight attendants had to call the police because he refused to cooperate." The denial allegedly resulted in an outburst, lasting nearly an hour. To put an end to the delay, authorities boarded the Boeing 737 to remove the traveler. Amid his ongoing refusal, two officers grabbed his arms and dragged him onto the ground and into the aisle. Then, the video shows the man grabbing his phone to record the incident himself. In another part of the video taken from a different angle, a female on board can be heard saying 'he's f------ selfish,' as he's pulled down the aisle. The removal required one officer to drag him by the arms and another dragging him by the belt. Another passenger is heard yelling 'get out the plane.' Thai Lion Air did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. This isn't the first time footage of flyers removed off a flight went viral. Earlier this month, on June 17, a 32-year-old female New York resident was restrained and removed from a Southwest flight from LaGuardia to Kansas City. Footage showed her pulling the hair of and spitting on a fellow flyer. Following her outburst, the passenger was removed from the flight and subsequently charged with aggravated assault, according to a statement from the Port Authority Police obtained by PEOPLE. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Another clip filmed by a fellow passenger that surfaced online showed the woman finally being removed from the plane. Port Authority Police had to roll the woman out of the gate area strapped to a gurney. Several of her fellow passenger can be seen filming the scene in the background. 'The suspect was transported to the hospital for evaluation and subsequently placed in the custody of the New York City Department of Correction,' a Port Authority PD representative said. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Overweight passenger hauled off plane over ‘f–king selfish' aisle seat demand
What an airhead. An overweight UK tourist was dragged off an airplane in Thailand after he demanded an emergency aisle seat to accommodate his larger frame, as seen in viral footage. The kerfuffle kicked off when the unnamed hellion claimed he didn't have enough room in his window seat on a Thai Lion Air flight departing from Bangkok on June 25, Viral Press reported. When the airhead asked to be switched to an aisle seat in the emergency exit row — which had more leg room — flight attendants refused, prompting him to throw a tantrum at 30,000 feet. 'At first, I thought we couldn't take off because the man had fallen ill,' the traveler who filmed the video recalled. 'It turned out he just thought the economy seat was too crowded and insisted on moving to the emergency exit.' Things got so heated that authorities were called to escort the problem passenger off the plane. But unfortunately, that was just the tip of the iceberg. In the wild footage, Thai police are seen yanking the stubborn flyer — who was wearing a bright orange Garfield shirt — out of his seat. However, the traveler then proceeds to lie down and obstruct the aisle in protest, prompting frustrated reactions from his fellow flyers. 'He is so f–king selfish,' accuses one perturbed passenger, while another yells at him to 'get out of the way.' Eventually, police managed to carry the uncooperative fellow off the plane by his arms and legs like a table. All told, his outburst delayed the flight by a full hour before the airplane eventually took off. This isn't the first passenger to be escorted off an airplane after they demanded special treatment. In April, a pair of 'disruptive passengers' were ejected from a Viva Aerobus flight in Mexico after barging past crew members and yanking other passengers' luggage out of the overhead. That same month, an unruly passenger forced a Milan-bound plane to return to New York after he bum-rushed the cockpit because, among other complaints, he didn't receive his preferred in-flight meal.
