China Passenger in Viral AirAsia Dispute Allegedly Admits Fault, but Insists Cabin Crew Should Speak Mandarin

By now, you’ve probably heard about or seen the video of a heated dispute on an AirAsia flight. The incident reportedly unfolded on a flight departing from Chongqing to Kuala Lumpur. It began when a woman, who claimed to be an off-duty flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, became emotional after being unable to communicate with the cabin crew in Mandarin.

The situation escalated to the point that aviation police had to intervene. The incident also reportedly led to the flight being delayed for nearly two hours.

The woman allegedly wrote a letter about the incident

On Chinese social media platform Douyin, the woman involved, surnamed Lee, allegedly wrote a Letter of Guarantee detailing her version of events.

In the letter, Lee claimed she was trying to contact a friend who had yet to board the flight. However, a passenger seated next to her allegedly became unhappy with how loudly she was speaking and asked her to lower her voice.

Image Credit: Douyin

The situation escalated when the passenger began recording Lee, leading to a further dispute between the two parties and prompting a flight attendant to intervene.

Lee claimed the matter was not resolved, alleging that the crew only communicated in English, a factor she said contributed to her emotional outburst.

Insisted cabin crew should have spoken Mandarin

Towards the end of the letter, Lee acknowledged her wrongdoing and admitted that she should not have argued with others or spoken loudly. She also wrote that she should keep her temper in check in the future and comply with cabin crew instructions.

However, she reiterated her belief that staff on an international flight should have been able to communicate in Mandarin.

She also claimed that the situation could have been handled more calmly, suggesting measures such as rearranging seats or requesting the deletion of the video. However, she alleged that these steps were not taken, causing the situation to worsen.

Image Credit: Douyin

Interestingly, she also wrote that she had received applause from other passengers during the incident.

At the time of writing, it remains unclear whether the handwritten letter was genuinely written by the woman involved.

What actually happened on the flight?

The viral incident took place on Wednesday (22 April), involving AirAsia X Flight D7809 from Chongqing to Kuala Lumpur.

Based on videos circulating online, the woman had an altercation with another passenger who recorded her while she was speaking loudly on her phone before take-off.

She demanded that the video be deleted, but the confrontation escalated.

When a cabin crew member attempted to intervene, the woman became increasingly emotional after being spoken to in English. She then berated the crew in Mandarin, insisting that service staff should be able to communicate in Mandarin.

Image Credit: TikTok

Efforts to de-escalate the situation were unsuccessful, as the woman reportedly demanded on-the-spot financial compensation for what she perceived as mistreatment.

Eventually, aviation police removed her from the flight for failing to comply with crew instructions.

China Southern Airlines responds

In related news, China Southern Airlines, the airline the woman claimed to work for, later issued a statement denying any connection with her.

According to a report by Sin Chew Daily, the airline said the woman was neither an employee nor had any affiliation with the company.

Featured Image Credit: TikTok, Douyin