Video: Passenger Demands Gate Agent Kneel Down and Apologize for Weather Delay

A West Air passenger flying from Zhengzhou to Shenzhen, China on Saturday decided that weather delays were just too much to handle, and that airline staff should be more customer service-focused.

So he demanded that one of the agents for West Air, a subsidiary of Hainan Airlines, kneel down to apologize to customers on the delayed flight, while waving his finger at the man.

The employee declared, “I am a member of staff. I do carry out my responsibilities. But there is no need for you to humiliate me.” The angry customer responds that kneeling isn’t humiliation, insisting:

  • “You must represent your company and apologize to us”

  • “Kneeling shows sincerity”

Other passengers didn’t see the need for an apologize, they’d all still be delayed. The two and a half hour, 818 mile flight was ultimately behind by four and a half hours — not departing until 2:30 a.m. the following day.

Video was posted on Chinese social media network Weibo where the delayed passenger isn’t getting much sympathy. One commenter suggests he be banned “from taking planes for the rest of his life, then get him to kneel if he wants the ban to be lifted.”

Customers certainly ‘have a choice of which airline to fly’ on this domestic hop with 16 peak daily departures offered by six different carriers. None however are likely to make staff kneel in apology when delayed by weather.

(HT: Jennifer Billock)

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Hopefully this guy never tries that with United who beat up passengers who are sitting in their assigned seat.

  2. Chinese Air Passenger is going to replace the Florida Man as the new meme for idiots.

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