Passengers Ejected from Flight for Protesting Cramped Seats

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A passenger was forcibly dragged off a Thai Lion Air plane at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. The passenger reportedly protested about the lack of legroom in the window seat. He demanded to move to an emergency exit seat.

However, the flight attendant refused the passenger's request. He became angry and went berserk on the plane. In a video recording, airport police officers were seen pulling the passenger, wearing an orange Garfield t-shirt, out of his seat.

Delayed Flight

The passenger then lay down and blocked the aisle in protest. Officers gripped his arms and dragged him to the floor and down the aisle. The video also showed the man reaching for his mobile phone to record the incident.

The commotion caused the flight to be delayed for about an hour. "At first, I thought we couldn't take off because the man had fallen ill,” said one man who recorded video footage, according to Viral Press. “It turned out he just thought the economy seat was too crowded and insisted on moving to the emergency exit. The flight attendants had to call the police because he refused to cooperate," said a man who recorded the video, as quoted by Viral Press, from People.

In another part of the video taken from a different angle, a woman on the plane was heard saying, "he's f------ selfish." Another passenger was heard shouting, "Get out the plane."

Similar Incidents

Meanwhile, there has been no response from Thai Lion Air regarding the incident, according to People. This is not the first video of a passenger being pulled off a plane that has gone viral. A 32-year-old woman from New York was arrested and removed from a Southwest flight from LaGuardia to Kansas City on June 17, 2025. The video showed her pulling hair and spitting at fellow passengers.

According to a statement from the Port Authority Police after the incident, the passenger was removed from the plane and then charged with aggravated assault. Several other passengers also recorded the scene when the woman was taken off the plane. "The suspect was transported to the hospital for evaluation and subsequently placed in the custody of the New York City Department of Correction," said a representative of the Port Authority Police.

A similar incident also occurred last April. As reported by the New York Post, a passenger was forced off a Viva Aerobus flight in Mexico after breaking through crew members and pulling other passengers' carry-on baggage from overhead compartments. In the same month, a disorderly passenger forced a flight bound for Milan to return to New York after storming the cockpit because, among other complaints, he did not receive his favorite food during the flight.

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