China woman kicked off flight, causes delay after refusal to store luxury bag under seat

A Chinese woman who refused to put her designer handbag under the seat in front of her when asked by a flight attendant caused a one-hour delay and had to be escorted off the plane. The incident attracted 4m views on Douyin and triggered heated discussions after a passenger posted a video clip of it. The passenger, who asked to remain anonymous, said the woman who was sitting in economy class insisted on putting her Louis Vuitton handbag next to her, instead of under the seat in front. The August 10 flight from an airport in Chongqing municipality in southwestern China was already departing and had to return to the boarding gate. Passengers applauded when police escorted the woman off the plane. The incident caused a delay of one hour and disrupted departure times of later flights. A Louis Vuitton handbag costs about US$3,000 in China and the economy class ticket for the flight from Chongqing to northern China’s Hebei province, operated by China Express Airlines, costs 800 yuan (US$110). The airline did not respond to questions about the case or reveal the outcome after speaking to the passenger. The offending passenger’s identity was not revealed. The incident has sparked heated debate on mainland social media. Some people criticised the passenger, while others said the flight attendant might have been overzealous in carrying out her duties. <br/>