Hainan Airlines (Photo : YouTube)
A Hainan Airlines jet bound for Shenyang from Shenzhen was delayed on Thursday for one hour because of a 30-year-old male passenger who opened the plane emergency door. The traveler, Hu, was removed from the plane, arrested and jailed for one week and fined 500 yuan.
The man was penalized for disruption of a civilian flight. The South China Morning Post reported that the erring passenger boarded the Boeing 737-800 aircraft which was preparing for a 10 p.m. take-off.
Li, a flight attendant, recalled that the traveler exchanged seat with another passenger so he could get a window seat. He then started playing with the handle of the emergency exit. Li even told Hu to stop touching the door handle but he thought it was a window handle so he yanked it open for fresh air to flow.
The stewardess was doing other duties at that time when she noticed several passengers near the emergency exit when she looked back. When Li noticed the door open, she immediately informed the captain.
Hu admitted to the cabin crew that he opened the door. He explained, “I thought I would get airsick as it was my first time flying, so I moved to sit beside the window. I thought the handle was used to open the window so it would be fine.”
The passenger’s cousin, who was on the same flight but seated away, told investigators that Hu is a bulldozer driver from Zhejiang Province and a Grade Three school dropout. Despite Hu’s limited education, he is curious about new things which led to his misadventure and missing the flight.
In the past few years, it is mostly curious Chinese first-time air passengers who caused these kinds of problems. As many Chinese improve economically, many experience flying by air, but curiosity or lack of knowledge about airplane etiquette result in the passenger being offloaded or fined.
