A woman passenger whose astonishing temper tantrum when she missed a flight from Hong Kong has been watched by more than 5 million YouTube viewers was given an apology and upgrade after complaining about the embarrassment the video caused her.
The airline employee who filmed the middle-aged woman throwing herself on the floor in a three-minute screaming fit when she arrived at the gate too late to board a flight to San Francisco has also been disciplined, Cathay Pacific said last night.
More than 5 million people have watched the video of the unidentified woman's tantrum at Chek Lap Kok on February 4 since it was posted on the video-sharing website last month, making it one of the site's most popular clips ever.
The woman, who was travelling with her husband and a friend, arrived at the boarding gate at the exact time of flight CX782's scheduled departure and flew into a hysterical rage when she was told her luggage had been offloaded. Cathay staff eventually put her on a later flight.
Within days, the video of her tantrum - in which she attempts to force her way through to the air bridge and then throws herself on the floor in front of the boarding gate, wailing 'This is inhumane ... what am I going to do?' - was uploaded and became an internet sensation.
The woman, who travels regularly between Hong Kong and San Francisco, returned to Hong Kong with her husband last week and spent about four hours in a meeting with Cathay Pacific customer relations executives complaining about the YouTube broadcast.