8:47 AM
Mr. Alex
Chinese government not amused
The China National Tourism Administration
issued a stern statement after the Air Asia episode, saying it had
"severely damaged the overall image of Chinese people" and demanding
local authorities review the case.
Air rage is a common sight in delay-prone China.
In recent years, state
media has reported numerous dramatic incidents involving irate
passengers, ranging from blocking moving aircraft on an active runway to
fistfights with airport employees.
During an official visit
to the Maldives in September, President Xi Jinping personally asked
Chinese tourists to behave themselves while traveling abroad.
Last year the government
released a lengthy list of do's and don'ts aimed at turning Chinese
travelers into "civilized tourists."
All the warnings and cajoling seem to have fallen on deaf ears, though.
Quickest way off a plane? Emergency exit!
Impatient or lacking
fresh air or ... something ... Chinese passengers in separate incidents
in the past two weeks decided to deal with their "stuck on a plane"
dilemmas in unexpected fashion.
Upon landing in Sanya on
December 8 after a China Eastern flight from Xi'an, a fidgety passenger
not content to suffer through the excruciating disembarkation process
-- Don't judge! We've all been there! -- went ahead and opened the
emergency exit door, engaging the aircraft's inflatable slide.
Xinhua news agency said the reason for the man's action was unknown, but The Nanfang website from southern China reported that the passenger said he simply wanted to depart the plane sooner.
His solution, to borrow loosely from Jane Austen, did display a certain amount of sense, if not sensibility.
Regardless, the shortcut cost the airline $16,000 and a two-hour delay, according to Xinhua.
That unauthorized exit
was followed by an incident on December 14 during which a first-time
flier on a Xiamen Air flight reportedly felt the urge for some fresh air
while waiting for his plane to take off.
His fix? Open the emergency door for better ventilation.
The man wasn't fined or punished because the act didn't cause any damage, stated the airline.
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