A first-time plane passenger caused
chaos
on an
Air China
flight when she accidentally opened the
emergency exit door
while searching for the restroom.
The incident occurred on July 4 as
Flight 2754
was waiting on the tarmac at
Quzhou Airport
in China's eastern Zhejiang Province, New York Post reported.
The inexperienced traveler had made her way to the rear of the aircraft and inadvertently opened the door without anyone noticing, causing the evacuation slide to deploy.
As a result, all passengers had to disembark, and the flight was ultimately canceled.
The affected passengers were relocated to a hotel and given compensation of 400 yuan (US$55) each. The woman who opened the emergency door was also taken to the hotel for questioning by police, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).
A fellow passenger named Cheng said, "When the evacuation slide popped out, even the flight attendants were startled. The female passenger was in tears when she heard that she would need to pay damages." The cost of activating the plane's emergency door is estimated to be around $28,000.
Following the incident, the woman was questioned by the police. Her identity was not disclosed in the report. The event raised concerns online, with some people questioning whether it was a concerning "design flaw" that allowed a passenger to unintentionally open the exit so easily, New York Post reported.
On China's social media platform Weibo, one online observer wrote: “Being a first-time flier is no excuse. She could have simply asked the crew where the toilet was.”
“If the emergency door is so easily opened, isn’t it prone to accidental activation? This seems like a design flaw of the aircraft,” said another.
English (US) ·