Passenger Refused To Leave Emergency Row Seat & Had To Be Escorted Off Plane At Changi Airport

There are a lot of things that could go wrong on a plane. I’m sure all of us are aware of that, which is why it’s always best to follow the instructions of the flight attendants.

After all, they’re the ones who know how the plane works and what safety precautions are needed to ensure that everyone gets to have a smooth, worry-free trip and land at their destination safely.

Which is what, I’m sure, everyone would like.

But sometimes, some passengers make life hard for them and for everyone else by just refusing to listen.

Like this guy.

Man Moved To Emergency Exit Row Seat During Flight

One such passenger had to be escorted off a Scoot plane at Changi Airport on Monday, 16 September 2019.

The elderly man had left his own seat and made his way to sit at the emergency row seat about an hour before the scheduled landing time.

According to The Straits Times, a fellow passenger on the flight who witnessed what went on had informed them that the man appeared to be in his early 60s.

The elderly man had moved to the emergency row seat, together with a younger man holding crutches, at about 2.30am.

A flight attendant then approached them at about 3am, to explain that the seats were for paid upgrade and that the two men did not meet the requirements to sit there.

Other passengers nearby who had woken up from the commotion also urged them to just listen and just go back to their seats.

The younger man then returned to his own seat eventually, but the older man refused and he wanted to continue sitting there. The plane’s pilot even made an announcement to warn passengers that instructions of the flight crew should be followed, but it did not seem to bother him at all.

Escorted Off Plane Upon Landing

The inbound flight from Athens ended up landing at Changi Airport at around 3.35am as planned, but passengers had to remain in their seats for an extra 15 minutes, as the man still refused to cooperate and leave the seat.

I’m genuinely curious about what must have been so great about that seat, that he didn’t want to leave it even after the trip was over.

Since he had refused to comply with instructions during the flight,  the auxiliary police were called.

But the man still refused to go with the auxiliary police.

Talk about never giving up.

Eventually, he was escorted off the plane and all the other passengers could exit the aircraft as well.

He Had Not Met The Criteria To Sit There

As part of safety guidelines, passengers sitting at the emergency exit row seats would need to meet various requirements, such as being in good health, able-bodied and capable of opening the exit doors if required during an emergency.