A woman kicked off an Air New Zealand flight at Wellington Airport for reportedly refusing to pay attention to safety instructions is garnering little sympathy.
The woman and a male companion were in the exit row and refused to read the safety card or watch the video.
Passengers sitting in the exit row are required to read the safety card and familiarize themselves with the appropriate procedures in case of an emergency.
READ: Videoing and carry-on baggage slowing evacuation and risking lives.
They also have to be capable of operating the emergency exit and they can be removed from an aircraft if they fail to comply with instructions from the cabin crew.
That’s what happened in this case, according to passengers on the Auckland-bound plane.
One passenger told news site Stuff that the woman looked down at her book when the video started playing and a flight attendant held up the safety card.
The passenger said the woman then picked up her phone.
“A flight attendant said very patiently ‘Can you please watch what’s happening because this is the exit row’,’’ the witness said.
“The flight attendant was super kind and kept asking her, but the woman put her fingers in her ears.”
The couple’s “shockingly arrogant behavior” delayed the plane’s departure for about 25 minutes before they were escorted off.
When told police were waiting for them, the woman took out her phone and loudly tried to make a booking with Jetstar, the witness said.
New Zealand police confirmed they were asked to meet a passenger at the airport and that she was issued with a Civil Aviation Authority infringement notice for using a mobile phone.
