Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has imposed a flight ban on two passengers following an altercation over seat-reclining disagreements that escalated into prejudiced insults.
The dispute unfolded on a flight from Hong Kong to London on September 17, with a female passenger from mainland China sharing her ordeal through a video on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), which is China’s version of Instagram.
In the video, the woman explained, “The lady sitting behind me asked me to put my seat up because it was blocking her husband’s view of the TV. I politely declined, and she started stretching her feet onto my armrest, kicking my arm, and cursing at me like crazy.”
A cabin crew member intervened, suggesting that the woman raise her seat, but she refused, which worsened the conflict.
“When the female passenger realized my Cantonese wasn’t so great, she started throwing around some nasty comments, calling me a ‘Mainland girl’ among other derogatory terms,” the woman said.
The primary language in Hong Kong is Cantonese, while Mandarin predominates on the Chinese mainland.
The woman added, “Once I began recording, the man seated behind me shoved his hand onto my armrest and violently shook it. It felt like a total invasion of my personal space,” noting that other passengers intervened at that point.
Voices in the video can be heard defending the woman, with one stating in Mandarin, “You’re old enough—why are you bullying a young girl?”
Others can be heard shouting in Cantonese, “You’re embarrassing us Hongkongers!” and “Stop saying you’re from Hong Kong!”
“After some passengers spoke up for me, the flight attendant finally said I could switch seats. I felt it was absurd—what if no one had backed me up? Would I have just been left to deal with it on my own?” the passenger said.
“As a major airline, isn’t Cathay supposed to know how to handle such disputes? Shouldn’t treating passengers differently have some consequences?”
Cathay Pacific issued an apology on Saturday for the distress caused, affirming its commitment to a zero-tolerance stance against behavior that compromises safety or respect.
“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any behavior that violates aviation safety regulations or disrespects the rights of other customers,” the airline said.
“We will deny future travel on any Cathay Group flights to the two customers involved in this incident.”
This incident not only stirs the ongoing debate about seat reclining etiquette but also underscores the underlying tensions between individuals from mainland China and Hong Kong, exacerbated by historical and cultural rifts and recent political unrest.
In a subsequent video, the woman expressed her view of the altercation as a singular, personal matter that should not be exaggerated.
She noted appreciatively, “Both on the plane and online, numerous Hongkongers supported and assisted me, proving there are still many kind-hearted people out there.”
However, Cathay Pacific, the flagship airline of Hong Kong, has previously faced challenges with the Chinese authorities.
The engagement of some of its employees in the 2019 pro-democracy demonstrations provoked criticism from the Chinese government, marking this as not the airline’s first encounter with accusations of anti-Chinese bias.
In May 2023, Cathay Pacific discharged three crew members following a discrimination complaint by a passenger from mainland China.
Announcing these firings, Cathay Pacific CEO Ronald Lam committed to personally leading a task force aimed at enhancing service quality and preventing such incidents in the future.
“We need to ensure that all Cathay Pacific employees must at all times respect customers from different backgrounds and cultures, and that we provide quality services consistently across all markets that we serve,” he said.
