Not everyone loves the Air New Zealand safety videos. A passenger who was far too self-important to pay attention to the safety briefing or glance at the safety card was ejected from her Air New Zealand flight.
The passenger was traveling on NZ424 from Wellington to Auckland. She had occupied an exit row seat.
During the pre-flight safety video, her head was buried in a book. A flight attendant presented her with a safety card, which she refused. The FA asked, “Can you please watch what’s happening because this is the exit row?” But the woman responded by pulling out her mobile phone.
When the FA continued to ask the lady to pay attention, who was described as “rich looking” by other passengers due to her clothing and Louis Vuitton bag, she placed her fingers in her ears.
Other passengers began to plead with the woman to pay attention. She refused. The FA reported the incident to the captain, who opted to return to the gate. The woman was offloaded. On the way into the gate, she reportedly called JetStar in an effort to rebook herself.
Was She Trying To Make A Point?
Look, I’m guilty of reading a newspaper or texting during safety briefings all the time. Most FAs do not seem to care. But even though I can recite the United and Lufthansa safety videos mostly from memory, that would not excuse me from respecting crewmember wishes of setting down my reading material and appearing to pay attention when directly asked.
This passenger was given multiple chances to comply. By witness accounts, this does not appear to be a flight attendant “respect my authority” situation. I fail to understand why she didn’t just play along for two minutes.
CONCLUSION
I don’t see a point in deliberately refusing to follow reasonable flight attendant instructions unless you want to get thrown off a flight. Thus, I’m scratching my head at what happened onboard NZ424.
image: Umedha Hettigoda / Flickr (cropped)
I’m not sure about the wealthy part but she certainly acts entitled.
I think the fact that the woman was in an exit row is important. It sounds like this was the main reason the flight attendant paid attention to the passenger and tried to make sure she at least glanced at the safety card and watched the video.
Exactly. When you’re in an exit row you have a certain responsibility. That’s why FAs always speak to people in those rows directly and check their state and I think that’s why this FA wanted to ensure procedures were known. They took the right action here.
Oh there are plenty of people who will spend every dollar to their name (or go into debt) for status items like LV handbags. In no way does that make the woman “wealthy”. Especially the fact that she was sitting in economy.
Normally I would agree with you, however, there is only economy seats on all Air NZ domestic flights
The woman has psychiatric problems. Unnecessary escalation.
The headlines of “wealthy” appears to be a reflection of the story and idea that other passengers had. This was not NZ’s official view. It should be left out as inflammatory or unfair, just as one would not have a headline of “Black woman did this” or “Maori woman did that”. Simliarly not “Low income woman gets into fight with flight attendant” We sort of grandfather gender because it’s ok to say “woman did this” or “man did that”.
If the person was yelling political slogans, then it would be ok to write “Communist woman did that”.
Fair point, but it is why I put wealthy in quotations.
I agree with you and am actually pleased that they kicked her off of the plane. Regardless of how many of these safety presentations I have sat through, it is right to politely stay silent and pay attention. In her case, she was not only jeopardizing her own knowledge of safety but also jeopardizing the safety of others depending on those in the exit row.
I think her actions reflect more than just not wanting to pay attention to the safety message. Someone who, in my opinion, lacks judgement and the ability or willingness to follow instructions, and actively displays a childish hostility to those instructions, should not be allowed in the exit row. I’m fine with her being kicked off the plane as well because this seems like the kind of person who in an emergency would insist on holding people up to grab her luggage and wear stilettos down the slide.
You don’t have to be a hero to sit in an exit row seat but as a previous poster said, it does come with some responsibility.
I have zero sympathy for the passenger who was ejected. I wish the same had occurred to the inconsiderate female, who was seated in front of me on an Air Tran flight in 2009. She was speaking so loudly on her cell phone prior to take off, that I couldn’t hear the announcements that the Captain was making. One would have thought, that the flight attendant would have told her to stow it. Finally, I shushed her. At the end of the flight, she was glaring at me. I wish I had told her something. Today, I probably would have, as I can’t put up with that garbage any longer.
New Zealand sounds like an amazing place and lives could have well been saved here and a lesson was taught.
Airlines have different policies in Exit rows too.
I was on a Lufthansa A321 in an exit row. I was told I could not use my iPad at all until we were airborne. Obviously, I complied.
I then flew BA on the same aircraft type and there was no such rule. I specifically checked later with a flight attendant just to understand it. She said something to the effect that they had abandoned that rule partly in order to avoid confrontation with passengers. We joked that too much of that happens already!
It’s sad that there is so much confrontation on such minor first world problems. Additionally, I understand why BA changed their rule too but the inconsistency of these requirements across airlines undermines enforcement of the rules. People question why one airline requires x.y,x when another does not.