Charlotte Foster
Travel Trouble

Flight cancelled after parents demand free upgrade for their child

A flight was delayed for hours before being ultimately cancelled after two parents demanded that their child was upgraded to first class for free. 

A plane in China was grounded for three hours after the parents caused a ruckus with the cabin crew, and were eventually kicked off the aircraft. 

According to a fellow passenger, the argument kicked off when an unsupervised child began to sob uncontrollably after boarding a flight from Chengdu to Beijing. 

As it turned out, the inconsolable toddler’s parents were seated in first class but had only bought their child an economy ticket.

It was then that the angry dad confronted the staff, demanding that his son be moved to first class at no extra cost.

According to the South China Morning Post, the irate dad explained that because he had already paid for two first class tickets, his child’s upgrade should be free. 

In the clip shot by a fellow passenger, the outraged dad began berating a group of passengers, crew members, and security guards as they repeatedly explained why his child isn’t entitled to an upgrade.

“Stop swearing at me,” fumed the father. “You have no right to do that.”

When a security guard attempts to de-escalate the situation, the parent lays into him, shouting: “What gives you the right to order me about?”

This prompts a woman to retort: “You’ve wasted too much of our time and we won’t tolerate it any longer.”

After three hours of back and forth, the couple were eventually kicked off the plane, while the flight was cancelled. 

The entitled passenger has since been rinsed on social media with one commenter fuming, “This man is so selfish.”

Others suggested solutions for the father that didn’t involve the airline giving the man an extra first-class seat.

“He can switch seats,” advised one person. “Let him sit in economy class, and have the mum take care of the child in the first-class cabin.”

Some on social media were quick to chastise the airline for their handling of the situation, with one person writing, “Keeping the quarrel going for hours? The problem-solving skills of the crew are poor.”

Image credits: Twitter

Tags:
travel trouble, plane, upgrade, China, first class