An AirAsia flight was fully evacuated after a couple refused to sit in their assigned seats, forcing security to intervene and delaying the departure from Kuala Lumpur airport.
The couple, both from China, had been seated apart by AirAsia's automatic ticketing system. After noticing an empty seat next to one of them, they moved to sit together, a move that is strictly prohibited under the airline's passenger guidelines.
Crew intervenes after seat switch
According to Malaysian news outlet Sin Chew, cabin crew quickly demanded the pair return to their original seats or pay an additional fee. Video footage shows the couple arguing with stewards and appealing to other passengers for support, shouting “Are you guys even Chinese?” when their appeals were ignored.
Security officials were eventually brought aboard after the couple reportedly continued to refuse to move.
Evacuation and delay
Officials then made the decision to evacuate the entire plane, at which point the couple disembarked. The confrontation caused a significant delay to the flight, according to reports.
AirAsia has not commented on the incident. However, the airline's passenger guidelines state that passengers are “not allowed to move to seats of higher value when onboard the aircraft without paying the additional charges and/or meeting the age criteria.” The guidelines also note that seat allocation is not guaranteed and that passengers accept any seat allotted at check-in.
