Opinion | Plane will not wait for you to buy cigarettes, says flight attendant to policewoman

It’s not easy predicting what will go viral on the Chinese blogosphere, but a common theme is one of the “everyman hero” standing up to power.

So sensitive is the issue of power abuse these days that rumours of a Hong Kong flight attendant rejecting demands from a uniformed military police officer became an instant hit on weibo. The officer wanted to delay take-off so she could go out and buy cigarettes for her boss.

A photo of the People’s Armed Police officer being “confronted” by security began spreading on Sina Weibo earlier this week and eventually made its way into Hong Kong and mainland news.

The Hong Kong-bound plane was to take off from Guiyang, capital of southwestern Guizhou province, on Sunday when the officer asked the crew to hold the flight because her superiors had forgotten to buy duty-free cigarettes.

“Sorry, I can’t make passengers of the entire aircraft wait for you to go out and buy cigarettes. I need to shut the door now. Please do not interfere with my plane taking off,” the flight attendant had reportedly said to the officer.

Hong Kong Airlines confirmed the incident and said the flight had taken off as scheduled. Other details were not disclosed.