Foreign Man Removed After Insulting Passengers on Int'l Flight

Source: OT-Team(G), 文汇报

A video showing a Chinese woman confronting a foreign passenger on an international flight has recently drawn widespread attention online.

On December 18, Ms. Sun, the woman who recorded the video, told reporters that the incident occurred on Air Canada Flight AC62. According to her account, a foreign male passenger seated in the front row repeatedly verbally abused two Chinese women sitting next to him. Unwilling to remain silent, Ms. Sun stood up to confront the man. She later learned that he had been drinking alcohol. After flight attendants escorted the man off the aircraft, the flight departed as scheduled.

In the video filmed by Ms. Sun, the male passenger can be seen repeatedly talking to himself in English and persistently disturbing a woman seated beside him. When the woman did not respond, he insulted her by calling her a "stupid person" and a "mute," and continued to harass her with other offensive language. Ms. Sun, who was seated behind them, loudly reprimanded the man, demanding that he respect other passengers and stop the harassment.

The video also shows flight attendants stepping in to address the situation and reminding the man that the aircraft was on an international flight and already taxiing on the runway. Toward the end of the video, a flight attendant makes an announcement in Chinese, saying, "This passenger has been removed from the aircraft. Once his luggage is located, we will be departing shortly."

Ms. Sun told reporters that the incident took place on December 15, during her journey from Harbin to Toronto via Seoul. At the time, she was seated by the window on the right side of the cabin, wearing headphones. The two Chinese women were seated in the front row on the right side, while the man was seated in the front row on the left.

"When the man first came over, he greeted the two women on the right, which seemed normal," Ms. Sun recalled. "But later, his voice became louder and louder."

After removing her headphones, Ms. Sun said she heard the man repeatedly hurling insults at the woman seated in the middle. The woman on the right tried to shield her and even suggested switching seats if she felt uncomfortable. Ms. Sun told them they could call a flight attendant to request a seat change if needed, after which the man quieted down briefly.

"Later, his voice grew even louder, and he kept using profanity," Ms. Sun said. At that point, she stood up and confronted him in fluent English, leading to the confrontation captured in the video.

According to Ms. Sun, the aircraft was taxiing and preparing for takeoff when flight attendants intervened. They initially attempted to calm the man, but he then began verbally abusing the crew as well. The aircraft subsequently returned to the gate, and the man was escorted off the plane. "The moment he stood up, everyone in the cabin started applauding," she said. The flight then resumed its departure. Cabin announcements indicated that the man had consumed alcohol prior to boarding.

After the flight landed in Toronto, Ms. Sun provided the flight crew with the video she recorded and other evidence for potential investigation.

Ms. Sun later learned that the Chinese woman seated in the middle was only 19 years old and a sophomore in college, while the woman on the right had already entered the workforce. Ms. Sun, a native of Harbin, is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in a city near Toronto. She described herself as someone who is willing to speak up. "When I see someone being bullied, I naturally step forward," she said.