Andy Lau surprises travellers flying in economy class

Andy Lau has once again won the hearts of Chinese netizens with his appearance onboard a flight to Malaysia.

On Wednesday (July 24), the star caught the attention of a fellow passenger who quickly uploaded a photo of him retrieving his bags from the overhead luggage compartment — in the economy class.

He's not called one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop for no reason, the photo went viral on Weibo.

Given Andy's superstar status, one would think that he'd be flying business class instead of slumming it out with regular folks in economy class.

Yet, the celebrity was spotted in the cabin without a personal assistant within sight. He also went through great lengths to conceal his appearance, donning a cap, face mask, and sunglasses.

Such a disguise, however, failed to hide his star quality that left netizens swooning.

They praised him for treating the rest of the passengers politely, even gently putting his hand on the shoulder of a passing young boy. He also did not ask the flight attendants to help him retrieve his luggage.

Netizens also speculated that Andy was travelling to the hometown of his Malaysian wife, Carol Chu, to visit her relatives.

Besides taking time out of his busy schedule to spend time with his family, Andy also became a vegetarian to suit the diets of his wife and daughter.

He once shared on a Chinese variety programme: "My daughter is (a vegetarian), and so is my wife. If I were to be the only one who isn't, wouldn't that be strange?"

Someone give the man a husband-of-the-year award already.

ANDY LAU A FAN OF ECONOMY CLASS?

This is not the first time that Andy has been spotted flying in economy class.

Earlier this month, a Chinese air stewardess shared a photo of the celebrity and herself on social media. She didn't expect Andy to accede to her request for a photo, but was pleasantly surprised when he agreed.

She gushed over the chance meeting with the easy-going star in a Weibo post: "I am overjoyed! I feel that it is fate that I could meet you. People said that we look alike and I agree. I feel very blessed and I will feel happy for the whole year!"

Such sweet interactions between Andy and his adoring fans sure makes one hopeful, doesn't it?

Seeing how people have been running into Andy on their flights, perhaps we'd also get a chance to meet the legend one day.

wongxuemin@asiaone.com