Stainless steal: Chinese tour group keep cutlery from in-flight meal
Staff Reporter 2013-08-31 14:24
A Singapore Airlines flight. (Photo/Xinhua)
A group of about 30 Chinese tourists recently sparked a row aboard a Singapore Airlines flight after refusing to hand over the metal cutlery from their in-flight meals, believing that it was free for them to take home, reports the Zhejiang-based Qianjiang Evening News.
Witnesses say the tourists, who were on a package tour to Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, got into an argument with a Singapore Airlines flight attendant when they were asked to return the cutlery after eating their in-flight meal.
One passenger accused the flight attendant of trying to "trick" first-time travelers, adding that he "knew the rules" because a relative had told him the cutlery from in-flight meals was free to keep and take home.
Unable to persuade the passengers, the flight attendant appealed to their tour guide, who was also unable to get them to return the cutlery until he said to them angrily, "Can you please not make all Chinese people lose face?"
In an unrelated incident, witnesses at Singapore Changi Airport reported chaotic scenes at a boarding gate when Chinese tourists crowded the entrance to the jet bridge more than a hour before boarding. The flight did not have allocated seating, meaning seats could be taken on a first-come, first-served basis.
The boarding gate attendant used the public address system to advise the 150 or so Chinese passengers to take a seat in the waiting area until closer to boarding time, but the crowd refused to disperse until one of them came up with the idea of using their luggage to mark their spot in the line.
