Cathay Pacific banned two customers after they got into a row over a reclining seat
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- Cathay Pacific banned two passengers after a dispute over a reclining seat on a flight, reports say.
- The couple began heckling a woman in front who declined to straighten her seat at their request.
- The airline emphasized its zero-tolerance policy for disrespectful behavior among passengers.
A pair of Cathay Pacific customers are no longer welcome on the airline after a row kicked off with another passenger over a reclining seat, according to multiple reports.
The incident took place on September 17 on a flight from Hong Kong to London, CNN reported.
The disagreement occurred when a woman refused to put her seat up at the request of a couple behind her.
The passenger, a Chinese woman, spoke about her experience in a social media post that has gathered almost 200,000 likes as of Monday, according to the BBC.
"The lady sitting behind me asked me to put my seat up because it was blocking her husband's view of the TV," she said, per CNN's translation. "I politely declined, and she started stretching her feet onto my armrest, kicking my arm and cursing at me like crazy."
Then, when the woman behind noticed that her Cantonese — the main language spoken in Hong Kong — was not strong, "she started throwing around some nasty comments, calling me a 'Mainland girl' and other derogatory stuff," the passenger said, per CNN.
She sought help from a flight attendant, but according to her account, the crew member simply suggested she raise her seat, which she declined to do.
The male passenger behind her "frantically pushed" at her seat she said, according to the BBC.
In apparent footage from the plane, which was posted to social media, the woman's seat can be seen shaking.
Later, the female passenger behind her is seen raising her middle finger at her and teasing her for being from mainland China.
The footage also shows increasing commotion on the plane as other passengers begin to comment on the situation.
Some of them defended the young woman, with one saying: "don't call yourself a Hong Konger, you bully," according to the BBC.
Cathay Pacific did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment, but told the MailOnline that the couple behind the passenger had been added to its no-fly list.
It added that it has "a strict zero-tolerance policy" for disrespectful behavior, and that the Chinese passenger had been moved to Premium Economy after the altercation.
The couple's insults appear, in part, to reflect tensions between people from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.
It also reflects a more universal issue: the debate over whether it's polite to recline your seat on an airplane. Arguments for and against have long raged on social media and beyond.
Last year, Business Insider spoke to six flight attendants, five of whom said it's OK to recline your seat as long as you're respectful to fellow passengers.