Two paying passengers finally gave up their first-class seats, moving to business, so the plane could take off. They turned out to be Sakda Pankla, former industry deputy secretary-general, and his wife Yuwaree, a science lecturer at Chulalongkorn University.

Ms Yuwaree complained on her Facebook page about the airline's treatment of the passengers.

"From what happened, I was surprised by the actions of deadhead pilots and on-duty pilots. They should provide service for passengers. Instead, they did it for themselves without taking into mind the feelings of passengers. It was as if the passengers were held hostage to their demands," she wrote on Oct 14.

What had actually delayed the flight did not become public until a complaint Mr Sakda sent to the airline leaked out. The four pilots were instructed not to discuss the matter in public.