Cheers as passenger attacks air crew
Incidents of rage on flights between the city and the mainland are on the rise, as witness tells of passenger who punches stewardess
Violent attacks on cabin crew during flights between Hong Kong and the mainland are becoming so common they often go unreported, it has emerged.
The threat posed by unruly passengers and a mob mentality was highlighted on Thursday, after a physical and verbal attack on a flight attendant was loudly cheered and applauded by others on board.
British business executive Graham Fewkes, who was on flight HX162, said the attack on the Hong Kong Airlines stewardess happened while the plane sat for six hours on the tarmac at Sanya Airport, Hainan, waiting for flight clearance.
He said that four hours into the delay, an elderly mainland passenger's frustration boiled over.
"He went completely mental and stormed up the plane and into the business class. I heard a punch and looked up and he was attacking the stewardess," said Fewkes, who travels to Sanya regularly for work and was on the flight's business class.
"What surprised me was that passengers were applauding as the man was hitting her. It was a crescendo of noise coming down the plane," he said.