China Eastern reports passenger to police over flight attendant kneeling
Dhaka: China Eastern Airlines has reported a male passenger to the police for allegedly disturbing order on board after a flight attendant was filmed kneeling in the aisle to apologize for bumping the passenger's elbow with a service trolley.
In a second statement on the incident, released on October 3, the carrier said the passenger's actions amounted to disturbing order aboard a civil aircraft and severely infringed on the crew member's personal dignity. China Eastern has also banned him from flying with the airline.
Footage of the incident, which occurred on a flight from Hefei in Anhui province to Dalian in Liaoning province, began circulating online on September 28.
According to the airline, the flight attendant accidentally bumped the elbow of the sleeping passenger with a trolley during the drinks service. She apologized immediately and repeatedly, but he did not accept.
Chinese media reports, citing the original uploader of the clip, said the passenger refused to accept her apologies, prompting her to kneel repeatedly to seek forgiveness. The airline did not explain why she knelt.
China Eastern said the attendant had repeatedly reminded passengers to watch out for the meal trolley. She was offered immediate care and support and has since returned to duty as normal.
Medical personnel examined the passenger after landing and confirmed that the bump did not cause any serious injury requiring further treatment.
The video, filmed by a fellow passenger, has sparked debate over the pressure on cabin crew from complaint-driven evaluation systems.
According to a state-run daily newspaper, passenger complaints are directly tied to the performance evaluations and career advancement of cabin crew.
The news outlet quoted a veteran flight attendant as saying a single complaint affects more than money, as it influences the annual performance rating, which weighs commendation letters against complaint deductions.
Reducing complaint rates is also a key operational metric for airlines. Globally, rating agencies such as Skytrax factor the volume of passenger complaints into their airline evaluation criteria.
