Thai Smile Airways’ turbulent tiff: Passenger’s ‘left-behind’ fiasco halts takeoff in Chiang Mai (video)

[webfact]

 

A Thai Smile Airways flight had to make an emergency stop as it taxied down the runway after a foreign passenger demanded the plane returned to the terminal gate so he could pick up his left behind valuables at Chiang Mai International Airport.

 

A Thai TikTok user, bandzlam, shared a video of the incident when a foreign man urged a flight attendant to stop the plane because he forgot his belongings. The video recorder also panned to her left side showing that the plane was moving on the runway while the foreigner requested it to stop.

 

The caption in the video stated that the foreign man was an Arabian passenger, but the airline has not yet confirmed the statement.

 

The Tiktoker stated…

“The incident occurred in Chaing Mai on July 19. This Arabian passenger forgot his bag at the airport and forced a flight attendant to stop the plane for him when the plane was about to take off. The man claimed that his money and valuables were in the bag. The airline finally stopped the plane and asked all of his family members to leave.”

 

Due to the noise in the cabin, the conversation between the flight attendant and the foreign passenger was not clear. In response to the urgent request before take-off, the pilot made an official announcement to the other passengers, explaining the brief interruption.

 

“We have to temporarily discontinue the flight for the safety of all passengers. We will be taking the affected passenger back to the terminal, and the process is expected to take approximately two to five minutes. We sincerely apologise for the delay.”

 

@bandzlam

ดีนะไม่นึกขึ้นได้ว่าลืมตอนเครื่องออกแล้ว สงสัยได้บินกลับ ????

♬ original sound - ☘️ธรรมชาติบำบัด☘️

 

 

by Petch Petpailin

Photo via TikTok/ bandzlam

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/thai-smile-airways-turbulent-tiff-passengers-left-behind-fiasco-halts-takeoff-in-chiang-mai-video

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-07-21

 

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[sirineou]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

The caption in the video stated that the foreign man was an Arabian passenger, but the airline has not yet confirmed the statement.

What difference did it make if he was an Arab?

Fly with Thai Smile From KKC to BKK, a few times every year, Never had a problem , always very accommodating.

 

[brianthainess]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

The airline finally stopped the plane and asked all of his family members to leave.”

Excellent out come, now bill him for costs involved.

But I must say a call back to ground crew to find the "lost' valuables wouldn't have gone a miss, to ease the situation.

[Clarkey611]

Now he has set a bad example, I worry that soon everyone will be doing it!

[scorecard]

"This Arabian passenger forgot his bag at the airport and forced a flight attendant to stop the plane for him when the plane was about to take off. ...

 

How can he 'force' the flight attendant to stop the flight?

 

This news site often prints words/ phrases etc., which are far off correct / appropriate English for the situation at hand. 

 

Another reason why I don't / I never believe anything in any form of news from any country.

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

What difference did it make if he was an Arab?

 

It is a common feature of Thai reporting that they include all kinds of completely irrelevant information, usually when there is an accident and we are given a description of what they were wearing or the registration number of the car(s) involved - yesterday, farcically even giving the number after blurring it out in the photo as they aren't very smart. Also, it is important to Thais to highlight a foreigner behaving badly, given half a chance.

[gravity101]

6 minutes ago, scorecard said:

"This Arabian passenger forgot his bag at the airport and forced a flight attendant to stop the plane for him when the plane was about to take off. ...

 

How can he 'force' the flight attendant to stop the flight?

 

This news site often prints words/ phrases etc., which are far off correct / appropriate English for the situation at hand. 

 

Another reason why I don't / I never believe anything in any form of news from any country.

Seems like she had no choice to an unruly passenger. Ergo forced.

 

I'd take more issue with the phrase "for him". More like 'because of him'

[brianthainess]

11 minutes ago, gravity101 said:

Seems like she had no choice to an unruly passenger. Ergo forced.

 

I'd take more issue with the phrase "for him". More like 'because of him'

The captain would make the decision, unruly passengers are dangerous especially with the whole family there, he could have tried to open a door, as as happened on planes, even mid flight.

[MrJ2U]

You have to download Tic TOC to view the video.

 

I'll have to watch it on my daughter's phone. 

[chang1]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

What difference did it make if he was an Arab?

Fly with Thai Smile From KKC to BKK, a few times every year, Never had a problem , always very accommodating.

 

Why not inform us of his nationality?

If it is not stated and sometimes, if it is stated, people will soon speculate someone's nationality.

If a certn nationality gets mentioned it helps us understand those people better. I'm British and we get a lot of stick due to our antics. I don't have a problem with that at all, so why do others worry?

 

 

[newnative]

Disruptive passengers like this--and they seem to be increasing--need to be banned from flying.  Period.   Put them all on a no fly database and prohibit them from flying with any airline.  They endanger the safety of all the passengers and crew.

[Suradit69]

2 hours ago, brianthainess said:

Excellent out come, now bill him for costs involved.

But I must say a call back to ground crew to find the "lost' valuables wouldn't have gone a miss, to ease the situation.

See Odd that no one in the airport boarding area noticed a bag left behind after all passengers had been processed and onboard.

[mikeymike100]

34 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

The captain would make the decision, unruly passengers are dangerous especially with the whole family there, he could have tried to open a door, as as happened on planes, even mid flight.

Absolutely, only the Captain can make that decision and in this case, he definitely made the correct one, as you say you never know what these individuals will do next. Safety must come first!

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, JoePai said:

Camels can stop quicker than a plane taking off

Fine, stop, turn around and go back to the gate to collect his valuables.

He'll need them when he get the bill for the extra fuel needed for the aborted take-off and taxing around the airport.

 

 

[mikeymike100]

2 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

See Odd that no one in the airport boarding area noticed a bag left behind after all passengers had been processed and onboard.

Quite, seems security needs to be more attentive and beefed up!

[Suradit69]

15 minutes ago, newnative said:

Disruptive passengers like this--and they seem to be increasing--need to be banned from flying.  Period.   Put them all on a no fly database and prohibit them from flying with any airline.  They endanger the safety of all the passengers and crew.

Yes the police should have been waiting to assist  that passenger disembark.

[Xonax]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

What difference did it make if he was an Arab?

 

If no nationality is mentioned, all nationalities of foreigners are blamed. Certain nationalities are creating way more trouble than others.

[KhunBENQ]

33 minutes ago, MrJ2U said:

You have to download Tic TOC to view the video.

 

I'll have to watch it on my daughter's phone. 

Plays on my Android chrome browser. 

[KhunBENQ]

No mention of checked baggage. If they had it would be another hassle to unload after they throw them out and put on a no flight list.

Should be banned from all domestic flights.

One way out of the country OK.

[sandyf]

44 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

The captain would make the decision, unruly passengers are dangerous especially with the whole family there, he could have tried to open a door, as as happened on planes, even mid flight.

Yes indeed unruly passengers can be dangerous but to suggest the doors can be opened "mid flight" is an unwarranted exaggeration. The doors can only be opened when the pressure inside and outside is equal, in other words flying relatively slowly close to the ground.

[Smokey and the Bandit]

17 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

Yes the police should have been waiting to assist  that passenger disembark.

"The TikTok user added the foreign passenger insisted on leaving the plane alone to retrieve the bag, but airport officers encouraged all of his family members to accompany him according to safety measures."

 

Looks like 'airport officers' did?

 

 

[chang1]

8 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Yes indeed unruly passengers can be dangerous but to suggest the doors can be opened "mid flight" is an unwarranted exaggeration. The doors can only be opened when the pressure inside and outside is equal, in other words flying relatively slowly close to the ground.

I think someone did manage to recently.

[GinBoy2]

36 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

See Odd that no one in the airport boarding area noticed a bag left behind after all passengers had been processed and onboard.

Oh you would be amazed how common this is.

 

I work for Delta, and I can't tell you how many times we have passengers leaving bags, phones, wallets in the gate area. 

Then on the flip side so many gate checked bags passengers forget to collect at their destination!

 

In this case, in US at least and I think most Western countries, upon arrival back at the gate the passenger would have been greeted by law enforcement, reunited with his bag followed by a trip to the local jail.

[RichardColeman]

1 hour ago, brianthainess said:

he could have tried to open a door, as as happened on planes, even mid flight.

And potentially kill his family ? Probably all mouth and no trousers - should keep stun guns on planes to quieten idiots like this moron.

 

[Taboo2]

No surprises here.  A certain class of people are entitled and this airline should be ashamed for backing down.  I blame Thai Airways, not the bitch boy on the plane.

[1happykamper]

The ultimate in "I'm a special person". Yes he indeed is special. The audacity of even asking to do that! 

 

I assume the plane stopped to kick the guy off the plane? 

[1happykamper]

4 hours ago, sirineou said:

What difference did it make if he was an Arab?

Fly with Thai Smile From KKC to BKK, a few times every year, Never had a problem , always very accommodating.

 

So you think stopping a plane, with 100 passengers on board. just to retrieve your forgotten bag is "accommodating"? and you would expect that? 

[VBF]

1 hour ago, MrJ2U said:

You have to download Tic TOC to view the video.

 

I'll have to watch it on my daughter's phone. 

No you don't. Just click on the second picture in the OP.

[GinBoy2]

2 minutes ago, 1happykamper said:

So you think stopping a plane, with 100 passengers on board. just to retrieve your forgotten bag is "accommodating"? and you would expect that? 

Just the fuel burn alone to taxi back to the gate is in the thousands of $.

 

Depending on how long this incident lasted they would have had to get the fueler back, no small deal.

 

Then factor in the disruption the crew and aircraft scheduling it's huge.

 

The cost of these kind of things is huge, and all for a bag, which would have been forwarded on the next flight!

[Dexxter]

59 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

See Odd that no one in the airport boarding area noticed a bag left behind after all passengers had been processed and onboard.

I wonder if his valuable bag was still there when he went back to fetch it.