So, here’s the scoop: two ladies are claiming they got the boot from a flight because they’re, well, not exactly the petite type. These two, Angel Harding and her buddy, had just come back from some Maori shindig in Hastings. They flew from Kerikeri to Auckland, then zipped over to Napier without a hitch.
But things hit turbulence on their flight from Napier to Auckland last Friday (15/3/2024). The plane did a 180 and headed back to the airport for some reason.
According to the New York Post, Angel was peering out the window when she felt a sudden ouch in her arm. She says a flight attendant whacked the armrest onto her arm.
And as reported by the Daily Star on Tuesday (19/3/2024), the cabin crew also laid down the law, saying all armrests had to be down before takeoff. Angel thought the whole thing was a bit much.
The drama dial turned up when Angel’s friend gave the flight attendant a piece of her mind for asking them to take a seat while the plane was rolling.
Turns out, the flight attendant wasn’t bluffing. She made a quick call, and before they knew it, the plane was taxiing back to the terminal.
Next thing they knew, the flight attendant was announcing that everyone had to deplane because of, you guessed it, “discomfort.” Then came the bombshell: if they ever wanted to fly with Air NZ again, they’d have to book four seats.
Then, airline staff dropped the bomb that they’d need to rebook and buy two tickets each. But get this: the next flight with available seats wasn’t until two days later.
Angel couldn’t swing another ticket, so the airline hooked them up with a place to crash, some grub, and a flight back on Sunday.
“We’re gonna work it out with them,” said an Air New Zealand spokesperson to 1 News.
In response, Angel said the whole ordeal left her shook.
“We’re all just human, right?” she sighed.