Cathay Pacific bans couple for insulting co-passenger

The incident took place on a 14-hour flight from Hong Kong to London last week, when the wife told the young woman to adjust her seat since it was preventing her husband from watching the in-flight entertainment screen, the South China Morning Post reported.

But she declined the demand, leading to an escalation.

The couple reportedly used vulgar hand gestures and discriminatory language with the woman who shared her experience in a video she posted on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu earlier this week.

In the video, she said she had sought assistance from a flight attendant who simply told her to straighten her seat.

She refused again and requested a seat change but the crew told her the flight was full.

Cathay Pacific issued a statement on Xiaohongshu apologizing to the passenger.

The airline emphasized its commitment to safety and respectful behavior, saying: "We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards any behavior that violates safety regulations or disrespects the rights of other passengers."

The statement said the two passengers have been banned from future travel on all Cathay Pacific Group flights.