SIA blacklists passenger who raged at cabin crew, reveals he hit another on next flight

SINGAPORE - An unruly passenger has been blacklisted from all Singapore Airlines flights after hitting a cabin crew member.

The man was on board SQ711 from Bangkok to Singapore last Tuesday when he became unruly during meal service, and made many requests for alcohol.

To ensure the safety of other passengers, the crew politely declined his requests.

A video of the incident has gone viral online. It shows the man hurling vulgarities at the cabin crew and demanding water.

He was handed over to the auxiliary police after the flight landed at Changi Airport, and he was issued a verbal warning.

But he hit a cabin crew member on a subsequent SIA flight, according to the airline’s statement on Monday announcing his blacklisting.

An SIA spokesman said the man had appeared calm and agreed to behave for connecting flight SQ352, which was scheduled to depart from Singapore for Copenhagen last Wednesday. So he was allowed to continue with his flight.

But once he was on board, he became disruptive again.

“In one instance, the passenger became aggressive and hit a cabin crew member,” said the spokesman. “However, our cabin crew managed to calm the passenger down eventually.”

The rest of the flight had proceeded uneventfully.

The cabin crew member who was attacked later received medical attention and did not sustain any serious injuries.

SIA said it would continue to provide the necessary support to the crew member, and that the airline has since decided to blacklist the passenger from all SIA flights.

The spokesman added: “Singapore Airlines takes the well-being of our staff and customers seriously. We will take appropriate action against any passenger who may risk the safety of our staff and customers.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.