"Couldn't Land Due to Typhoon"... Taiwanese Outrage Over Flight Attendant Kneeling Down

After Over an Hour Delay, Fierce Protests
Ground Crew Kneels and Apologizes

Due to the impact of Typhoon Kong-rey, which was the 21st typhoon of the season, a flight that failed to land on schedule after three aborted landing attempts caused outrage among netizens when it was revealed that a flight attendant knelt down and apologized to passengers.

On the 1st, China Airlines flight CI782, which was scheduled to depart from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and land at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan at 3:15 PM, failed to land after three attempts due to runway paralysis caused by the impact of Typhoon Kong-rey. In response, when a business class passenger protested to the flight attendants, one of the attendants knelt down and apologized.
[Image source: Screenshot from thread 'hpj68999']

On the 1st (local time), Taiwan's FTV and others reported that China Airlines flight CI782, which departed from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was scheduled to land at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan at 3:15 p.m. However, due to Typhoon Kong-rey, heavy rain and strong winds paralyzed the runway, causing three failed landing attempts. Eventually, the aircraft diverted to Kaohsiung International Airport in southern Taiwan for refueling and arrived at Taoyuan Airport at 4:19 p.m., about an hour late.

During this process, some business class passengers strongly protested to the flight attendants, leading to a flight attendant kneeling down to apologize, which sparked controversy. A video shared on social media by an economy class passenger shows a male business class passenger with his hands on his hips protesting, while a male flight attendant is seen kneeling and seemingly explaining the situation.

The passenger who posted the video said, "I boarded flight CI782, which failed to land three times and is now waiting in Kaohsiung after refueling to return to Taipei. However, a business class passenger caused a disturbance, and a ground crew member came over and knelt down." He sarcastically added, "I don't even have the strength to hold a vomit bag, yet he keeps getting angry. That's impressive."

Netizens who saw this reacted with comments such as, "The typhoon warning was issued well in advance; if you couldn't accept the risk, you shouldn't have boarded," "It's not the flight attendants' fault, so why should they kneel? It's upsetting," and "We should be grateful they landed safely; this is just unbelievable."

Causing disturbances such as shouting at flight attendants inside the aircraft is an illegal act that threatens in-flight safety. In South Korea, depending on the type of in-flight disturbance such as verbal abuse or loud shouting, offenders can face imprisonment from 5 to 10 years or fines up to 50 million won.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's United News Network reported that at least three people died and over 200 were injured due to this typhoon. Kong-rey made landfall at 1:40 p.m. on the 31st in Chenggong Township, Taitung County, Taiwan, with strong rain and wind, then weakened and moved out to sea around 6:40 p.m. In South Korea, the aftermath of Kong-rey brought over 300mm of heavy rain over two days, resulting in the heaviest recorded rainfall for November in 101 years, a record-breaking "November downpour."