Taiwanese passenger fined for shouting at airport staff after missing flight

By Hoang Phong August 14, 2019 | 01:01 am PT

Passengers wait at the VietJet Air check-in counter at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by Shutterstock/Hung Tran.

A Taiwanese woman has been fined VND4 million ($172) for yelling at aviation staff after arriving late and being prevented from boarding her flight.

On Monday, Juan Mei H., 37, showed up at the boarding gate for a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Taipei at 8:32 a.m., an hour after boarding began (7:35 a.m.), according to the Southern Airports Authority.

When VietJet Air staff at the Tan Son Nhat Airport said they could not allow her to board, she berated them and other aviation staff who tried to intercede.

Security staff reported the incident to aviation authorities who decided to fine her VND4 million on Tuesday.

In 2017, Vietnam's airport authorities fined a man VND7.5 million ($330) for hitting an airline staff who refused to let him board as he arrived late to check-in for a flight.

With increasing numbers of people opting to fly, Vietnam’s aviation industry has seen rapid growth, and there are five domestic budget carriers in the fray now.

There were more than 56.8 million air passengers in the first half of this year, 8.4 percent up from a year ago, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.