A Chinese woman had to be escorted off a plane after she refused to put her Louis Vuitton handbag worth $3,000 under the seat in front of her, as is the rule in most flights, thereby delaying the flight by one hour. According to a South China Morning Post report, after a passenger posted the video of the incident on Douyin, the clip garnered 4 million views and triggered a heated debate on the platform. The passenger, who requested anonymity, said that the woman in economy class insisted on placing her Louis Vuitton handbag beside her seat instead of stowing it under the seat in front, reported South China Morning Post.
The August 10 flight from Chongqing, southwestern China, was already departing when it had to return to the gate. Following this, police escorted the woman off the plane, which led to a one-hour delay and disrupted subsequent flights. The Louis Vuitton handbag, valued at around $3,000, contrasted sharply with the economy class ticket price of 800 yuan ($110) for the flight operated by China Express Airlines.
According to the report, the airline did not respond to questions about the case or reveal the outcome after speaking to the passenger. The passenger’s identity remains unknown. However, the video led to mixed reactions on Chinese social media.
While some criticised the passenger, others suggested that the flight attendant might have been overly strict in enforcing the rules. “She valued the bag more than her life,” South China Morning Post report qu.