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Woman throws tantrum after missing her flight

by Jeffrey White (RSS feed) on Feb 16th 2009 at 9:15AM

(UPDATE 1:45 p.m.): I've updated this post just now to put a new video of the incident up that has a translation of what this woman is screaming about (some readers have speculated whether she was on her way to some funeral or emergency, but the translation does not really support this theory).

A woman was captured earlier this month at Hong Kong International Airpot going absolutely crazy after arriving at the gate for her Cathay Pacific flight to San Francisco, only to find out that the airline had closed the gate and the plane was taking off without her.

The airline claims that it had been calling her to report to the gate. As she had not shown up, a Cathay Pacific spokesperson told the news agency Agence France-Presse that per security requirements baggage handlers unloaded her luggage from the plane and the crew closed the gate to boarding.

Watching this video is sort of like watching the ebb and flow of a really impressive storm, how it moves between moments of unbridled intensity to moments of calm. Another analogy is that of a baby crying its lungs out.

And look at how she talks to her husband!

The video was apparently shot on a mobile phone by a crew member standing behind the ticket counter.

I just have one question: If this had happened in the US, would the Transportation Security Administration have arrested her? I'm betting yes.

Thanks to Robert Gale for passing this along.

Click the pictures to learn more about other "problem women" ...

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)

SandlionArrakis Feb 16th 2009 11:49AM

Whoa, someone needs to grow up. I've missed a flight before and I just bought another ticket. It happens.

carol Feb 16th 2009 4:10PM

Wow, what airline was that? I missed a flight last summer going from NY to LA, on JetBlue. We left early to go to the airport but unfortunately, there was an accident on the parkway which caused very major delays. By the time we go to the airport we had just missed the plane by seconds! Needless to say, it cost $100.00 to get a second flight!!! And while I didn't throw a fit, I wasn't too happy about it either.
What Im saying is that some airlines will charge high amounts if you've missed your flight.

SandlionArrakis Feb 18th 2009 11:16AM

That is why people get to the airport on time Carol. The only reason I missed my flight is because I thought it was on a different date. It wasn't that much more expensive to get another ticket. You are supposed to be there up to three hours before the flight leaves.

bleu Feb 16th 2009 10:11AM

Yes, she would have been arrested had this occured in the USA and yes, she could have been shot had this occured in Bejing!
The worst of it, this female is flying to San Francisco. What will she do when she gets to a store and her favorite dress just got sold. Throw a fit?

66 Feb 16th 2009 10:14AM

I haven't been this entertained in a LONG time! I still can't stop laughing

Herman Feb 16th 2009 11:48AM

I, too, would have liked to have her screams translated to English.

Betsy Feb 16th 2009 10:12AM

Too bad her comments were not translated to English. I would have liked to have known what the hell was her problem. Yes, if it were in the US she would have been taken in to custody. I guess she was all that and a bag of "nuts" too!

Kate Feb 16th 2009 7:13PM

Betsy and all, it was translated into English, written on the bottom of the screen. But may have been posted after you saw the clip and when I did.

Mary Rogers Feb 16th 2009 10:15AM

This lady was an absolute nut case!! Holy cow!! I think the airline employees were SO NICE to her, and SO UNBELIEVABLY PATIENT!!! Wow!! If this lady were in the United States, and was acting crazy like that and causing a disturbance, they would have called security, and she would have been hand cuffed and hauled off to a mental hospital for evaluation.

I Nov 3rd 2009 4:15AM

People are Ridiculous to make light of this person's frustration!!! Was she in the bathroom? Was she traveling to San Fran for a wedding? Funeral? Someone that was seriously ill? I'm sure that flights DO NOT leave every hour for San Fran.
I think that I would have been just as distraught as her, had it happened to me.

Timmah Feb 16th 2009 10:43AM

Then you should also be locked up for being nuts. Who misses a flight because you were in a bathroom...you dont have a clue.

me Feb 16th 2009 11:00AM

whos fault is it that she wasnt there on time? no ones it is her own fault she needs to suck it up and make plans to change the situation the best she can. i really hope you wouldnt act like that if u screwed up...

alioness13 Feb 16th 2009 11:26AM

to "I Said"
There was no excuse for her not to be at the gate for departure. Even in HK you have to be at the airport a minimum of 2 hours prior to your international flight. "She might have been in the bathroom." You are rediculous. Do you think she was in the loo for 2 hours? Cathay Pacific has 2 flights a day from HK and they are not the only airline that flies to San Fran. She should have simply taken the next flight out. Her histrionics were absurd regardless of the reason she needed to be in San Fran. The fault is totally her own.