Elderly woman ends up on no-flylist after slapping flight attendant who accidentally bumped into her

Sometimes airline passengers think the rules don’t apply to them, or worse, believe it’s alright to get physical with the cabin crew. One entitled Tigerair Taiwan passenger by the name of Zhang slapped a member of staff and received a reality check in the form of their name appearing on the no-fly list.

When on board an airplane it is always important to listen and do exactly what the cabin crew tell you otherwise you could end up putting yourself and others in danger. Staff onboard flight IT753 from Fukushima, Japan to Taipei, Taiwan, prepared for landing and told all passengers to remain in their seats and fasten their seatbelts. Standard practice when taking off or landing a plane. However, despite this, some still struggle to follow such basic instructions.

A 71-year-old passenger, who has been identified by her surname, Zhang, decided to ignore the instructions from the crew according to an article from the New York Post. As the plane came in to land Zhang allegedly stood up in the aisle to put her shoes on. As flight attendant Liu walked down the aisle to conduct her final safety checks she inadvertently bumped into the elderly woman.

Despite being the cause of the collision Zhang became enraged as she began shouting at the staff. Liu attempted to calm the agitated passenger by apologizing and offering her ice packs and medical assistance but it was all in vain.

Zhang gets violent

According to one witness, “The flight attendant asked if she needed a doctor, and she said it wasn’t serious, but she continued yelling,” they also commended the crew’s professionalism. Passenger meltdowns happen more often than you think, but Zhang took it too far when she decided to get physically violent with the attendant who bumped her.

Footage of the incident shows the elderly woman slapping Liu in the face. The over the top reaction from the passenger didn’t fly with the rest of the crew who immediately informed police at the destination. Upon landing authorities boarded the plane and apprehended Zhang. Both the flight attendant and the senior stated that they intended to press charges against one another but considering how witnesses say it went down it seems unlikely Zhang will have much of a case.

The elderly passenger was also put on the no-fly list while the airline condemned her attack in a statement on the matter. “Tigerair Taiwan expresses the strongest condemnation against such behavior that seriously violates employee dignity and personal safety,” the statement reads, adding that they intend to defend their colleague’s “legal rights,” even going as far as to appoint lawyers to “assist the staff involved.”