Worst Passenger of the Week: Rotten Brat Refuses to Buckle Up & Rotten Parents Support His Rotten Behavior

Every Friday, FlyerTalk looks back at the week’s most charming individuals. While there are always plenty of contenders for our Worst Passenger of the Week award, only one lucky flyer can take home the glory.

 

Third Place — The Politician Who Simply Can’t Say “No” to a Sale

An Indian politician likely lost the votes of a plane-load full of passengers who were trapped on the tarmac for 45 minutes waiting for her to board the flight. MP Renuka Chowdhury had a good excuse for her tardiness, though; Air India officials report she was busy taking advantage of Indira Gandhi International Airport’s (DEL) shopping opportunities.

Gate agents allege that Chowdhury continued her retail therapy despite repeated announcements pleading for her to board the plane. It may seem that with a Cabinet Minister and a Supreme Court judge already waiting on the plane, Chowdhury’s shopping spree could have put her at risk of being left behind. Air India officials, however, say that because Chowdhury’s bags were already loaded on the flight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD) with only a stopover at DEL, the airline’s hands were tied.

Chowdhury has rejected the notion that she was responsible for delaying the flight. She has publicly vowed to sue the airline for tarnishing her good name, stating: “They have to establish where I went and shopped. What nonsense they are talking?”

 

Second Place — The Scorned Lover

A distraught Air China passenger on a flight from Nanning Wuxu International Airport (NNG) to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) made her bad breakup a problem of everyone onboard. The jilted passenger told the flight crew that she wanted to commit suicide because there was no reason to go on living after being dumped by her boyfriend. The woman, identified by local media as Wang Li, then upped the ante on her cry for attention by announcing that she had placed a time bomb on the plane.

In the face of Li’s threat, the flight quickly diverted to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG), where the plane was boarded by SWAT teams before authorities concluded that there was not an explosive device on the aircraft.

Passengers expressed relief that the terrifying episode ended safely, but the ex-boyfriend may be the one who really dodged a bullet.

 

The Winner — The Family in Need of a Time-Out

A cranky 3-year-old boy who stubbornly refused to wear his seatbelt caused an uproar on a Cathay Pacific flight preparing to take off from Bangkok International Airport (BKK) on its way to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). The fussy child, who preferred the comfort of his mother’s lap to his assigned seat, failed to heed pre-flight safety announcements and could not be reasoned with.

The tyke’s parents, it seems, also could not be reasoned. The couple insisted to flight crew that their child be allowed to ride in his mother’s arms. Takeoff was delayed while the crew tried unsuccessfully to coax the parents into buckling the problem child into his seat.

Eventually, other passengers began confronting the stubborn family. One passenger advised a flight attendant to call police and another chided the couple, reminding them: “We are customers too. Why are you allowed to harass the whole flight?”

The parents then began to feel bullied and announced: “If others keep harassing us, we will not leave the plane.”

The family eventually agreed to be removed from the plane for a lengthy time-out. The actions of a precocious toddler may have started the onboard commotion, but it is the 3-year-old’s parents who truly won the right to share the title of Worst Passenger of the Week.

 

[Photos: The Times of India; DailyMail; South China Morning Post]