An airport worker sparks anger after tearing up a passenger’s ticket after he missed a flight – because he was eating noodles.
Luu Minh Hoang, 43, checked in at 5pm for a 5.50pm flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam on November 5.
But he visited the airport canteen for a bowl of pho noodle soup – then rushed back after he forgot boarding and heard his name being called.
Luu arrived at the boarding gate at 5.41pm – only to be told he could not fly because taking him onto the plane would delay take-off.
As the man became more aggressive, the female Vietjet worker then ripped his ticket to make him understand he could not fly.
But the act backfired and she was fined and disciplined by bosses after the incident went viral and was picked up by Vietnamese news, with Luu complaining of being ‘’humiliated’’ by the woman.
He said: ”At 5pm I checked in. After completing the procedure, I went to the waiting area, but while waiting for boarding, I went to eat a bowl of pho about 30 or 40 metres from the gate.
”After I finished eating I returned to the chair to fly and heard the speaker at the airport say ‘please invite passengers Luu Minh Hoang, the last passenger on the flight’.
”At this point I raised the ticket to say ‘I here, I here, I am Luo Minh, here’.”
Luu said he asked the staff to resolve the situation when the manager, who has not been named, appeared and began talking with him.
He added: ‘’The manager said that due to missing the boarding, I should pay a penalty to change the ticket to the next trip.
”At that time, I was very calm. Then she tore my ticket again, and the challenge made me feel terribly annoyed and humiliated, that my situation was being downplayed.’’
Security guards arrived to calm the situation as Luu became increasingly angry.
He paid 20USD to change the ticket for a flight six hours later.
But Vietjet said the worker would have her salary and bonuses cut for dealing with the passenger ‘’inappropriately’’.
The low-cost carrier said Flight VJ159 from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on 05/11 had a departure time of 17h50 and the cut-off time for receiving passengers was 15 minutes before.
They said in a statement: ”At 17h41, new passengers were present at the door of the aircraft.
“In order to ensure that the flight departed on time, the airport operator refused to allow passengers to board the flight and, at the same time, instructed guests to move to the next flight of the day.
‘’ The employees attitudes toward this passenger when delayed, and the act of canceling the boarding pass, was not an appropriate way to communicate with customers. Accordingly, the airline has disciplined the appropriate staff.
”As a result of this incident, the airline would like to remind customers of the need to track flight information and be on time to ensure that their travel plans are not compromised.’’
