THIS is the moment a couple caused their flight to be cancelled after demanding their sobbing son be seated in first class – despite paying for an economy ticket.
The shamed parents kicked up a fuss for three hours before their flight from Beijing to Chengdu, China was cancelled, leaving approximately 300 furious passengers stranded.
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One passenger said the trouble started when an apparently unsupervised toddler began to sob in the seat next to him.
It quickly turned out that his parents were in first class but had only bought him an economy ticket.
The boy’s dad allegedly kicked up a stink, demanding that his two-year-old son be moved to first class at no extra cost.
Mr Zhao filmed how cabin crew, security guards, and passengers pleaded with the furious dad as he tried to get his way.
As they explained for the umpteenth time that the tot wasn’t entitled to a free upgrade, the man yelled at them: “Stop swearing at me.
“You have no right to do that.”
As a security guard tried to cool things down, the dad shouted: “What gives you the right to order me about?”
A woman then hit back: “You’ve wasted too much of our time and we won’t tolerate it any longer.”
Local media said the drama kicked off around 11am and only ended when the dad was booted off the flight at 2pm.
The journey ended up being cancelled and the other approximately 300 passengers all reportedly had to rebook their flights.
One social media user wrote: “He can switch seats. Let him sit in economy class, and have the mum take care of the child in the first-class cabin.”
Another claimed: “I’m on this flight. There are students crying anxiously as they rush for exams the next day.
“There are couples heading home for marriage, and others travelling with organised tours, their plans disrupted.
“After three hours of dilemma, I really feel the lack of some decisive contingency measures.
“The funniest part is, they don’t admit to human-induced delays, as the cancellation is claimed to be due to weather reasons.”
Last week, a claustrophobic air passenger was left in a “state of shock” after becoming trapped in a plane’s toilet for his entire flight across India.
The man had gone to use the lavatory shortly after his SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru had taken off when the door’s lock malfunctioned.
And one passenger caused chaos on an easyJet plane after “defecating” on the floor – cancelling the flight and leaving holidaymakers stranded.
Footage has shown toilet paper strewn across the walkway of a plane that had been scheduled to fly from Tenerife to London Gatwick.
Rules for children travelling unsupervised
Children flying alone are called “Unaccompanied Minors” and will often require a separate ticket, according to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
Parents or guardians will also need to fill out extra paperwork to include all information the airline needs to know about the child.
However, it’s important to note that each airline sets it own rules and regulations, including ages, prices and routes allowed.
For most airlines, children aged between five and 12 years old can fly alone using the airlines Unaccompanied Minor Service.
Some airlines allow a pass to be given to a parent so they can escort their child through security, while others will escort your child themselves.
On arrival, your child will be escorted to a parent or guardian waiting to collect them (ID will be required).
Children aged 12 and above can travel alone without an Unaccompanied Minor Service, although it remains available for an extra charge.
