'Wealthy-looking' woman kicked off Air New Zealand flight for ignoring safety video

A witness said the woman put her fingers in her ears when cabin crew asked her to pay attention
File photo: The Air New Zealand flight was forced to return to the gate after the incident
Holger Detje/Pixabay
Megan White8 May 2019

A “wealthy-looking” woman carrying a Louis Vuitton handbag was allegedly kicked off a flight for refusing to watch a safety video.

The woman, who was travelling with her partner, was said to have been onboard a flight from Wellington to Auckland in New Zealand when she was removed from the plane.

A witness told Stuff that the pair, who were sitting in an exit-row, ignored the flight attendant’s instructions and were looking at their phones instead of the safety information.

The Air New Zealand plane was eventually forced to return to the gate after the altercation on Tuesday morning and police were called.

The witness added: “The video started playing and the flight attendant held up the card, but the woman started looking down at her book.

"A flight attendant said very patiently 'Can you please watch what's happening because this is the exit row'.

"The flight attendant was super kind and kept asking her, but the woman put her fingers in her ears."

They said it was “shockingly arrogant behaviour” and that the couple “didn’t seem to care” that they had delayed the plane.

A police spokesman said they met one passenger at the airport, adding: "The passenger will receive an infringement notice under Civil Aviation Authority rules relating to the use of a cellphone."

The couple are yet to be identified. Air New Zealand have been contacted for a comment.

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