Cathay Pacific bans couple after seat-reclining spat

CNN —

Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific has banned two passengers from its flights after an argument over seat-reclining etiquette descended into xenophobic insults.

The incident occurred during a flight from Hong Kong to London on September 17, and a female passenger from mainland China recounted her experience in a video posted on on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), China’s version of Instagram.

“The lady sitting behind me asked me to put my seat up because it was blocking her husband’s view of the TV. I politely declined, and she started stretching her feet onto my armrest, kicking my arm and cursing at me like crazy,” she said.

A flight attendant attempted to mediate by suggesting the woman raised her seat, but she refused, and the situation escalated.

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“When (the female passenger) realized my Cantonese wasn’t so great, she started throwing around some nasty comments, calling me a ‘Mainland girl’ and other derogatory stuff,” the woman said.

People from Hong Kong speak mainly Cantonese, whereas mainland Chinese mainly speak Mandarin.

“Once I started recording, the husband behind me even shoved his hand on my armrest and started shaking it like crazy. I felt my personal space had been completely violated,” added the woman, who said other passengers then intervened.

In footage of the incident uploaded by the woman, a female voice can be heard saying in Mandarin: “You’re old enough — why are you bullying a young girl?”

And others can be heard shouting in Cantonese: “You’re embarrassing us Hongkongers!” and “Stop saying you’re from Hong Kong!”

“After some passengers spoke up for me, the