Flight attendant forced to kneel and apologize after food cart hits passenger’s elbow

The incident occurred on the night of Sept. 28 aboard a China Eastern Airlines flight from Hefei to Dalian, when the man was sleeping.

Though he suffered no injury, she apologized immediately and the purser brought an ice pack for the passenger.

But the man refused to accept the apology, berated her, said “let me kick you,” and demanded that she accompany him to the hospital after landing.

His aggressive attitude cowed the flight attendant, who it turns out is inexperienced, and she went on her knees two or three times and said sorry, according to Zhang, a passenger who witnessed the incident.

The situation was only defused after security officers intervened.

After the plane landed, medical personnel boarded the flight, checked the passenger, and said there were no surface wounds or swelling and no further treatment was necessary.

The passenger refused the ground staff’s offer to go to hospital and left.

The incident was then trending on Weibo and Sina, China’s two most popular social media platforms.

Many users criticized the passenger, arguing that his reaction was excessive for a minor bump.

“Service jobs also deserve respect,” one wrote on Weibo.

“Why would someone humiliate another person over such a small incident?” another asked.

A seasoned flight attendant said unexpected incidents like a food cart bumping into passengers are typically handled by the flight crew according to standard procedures.

The attendants must apologize directly, and if the situation spirals, the purser intervenes, they said.

The purser has the authority to offer compensation to the passenger, including seat upgrades, mileage points, vouchers, or monetary compensation, they said.

If a passenger decides to go on and complain, the involved flight attendants could see a reduction in their performance review scores, they said.

“The flight attendant knelt because she was inexperienced and panicked.”

The Chinese flight attendant knelt down and apologized to the customer

Later that day, China Eastern Airlines issued a statement saying the employee was “severely shaken.”

It provided her with counseling, and she has since returned to work.

It is investigating the incident.