Passenger Fined For Slap: 35-Year-Old Female Fined After Slapping VietJet Air Employee

A passenger has been fined for a slap in the face… literally.

According to Tuoi Tre News, a 35-year-old female is facing consequences after she slapped a VietJet Air employee across the face at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on April 7. The woman became angry when she was told that her luggage may have been too heavy to board the plane with her. She will now have to pay VND 7.5 million (about $350) as a result of her actions.

The report states that the woman already went through the pre-boarding process, and was carrying two bags with her as she prepared to board the aircraft. However, an employee standing at the gate insisted that the woman’s bags be weighed again, thinking that they looked too heavy.

The passenger fined for the slap has been identified as Nguyen Thi Hang. She was told that her bags looked like they were over the weight limit (7 kg.), but she evidently did not want to comply with any regulations. According to Thanh Nien News, one of the woman’s bags did indeed weigh over 7 kg., which is over regulation.

“Aviation authorities said passengers are allowed to carry only one piece of portable baggage weighing up to 7 kg. with a of size 56x36x23 cm when boarding an aircraft. Any excess baggage must be deposited at check-in counters before boarding.”

Although the woman complied with the employee’s request to weigh her carry-on bags again, she began shouting, and then got physical.

The decision to fine the woman came a few days later. The director of the Southern Airports Authority, Tran Doan Mau, signed off on the violation on Saturday according to Vietnam Breaking News. It is presumed that the woman was allowed to board her flight, but that she did have to check the bag that was overweight. According to Mail Online, the woman was asked to sign a statement that detailed and documented what had happened at the airport. She complied.

If she had just gone with the flow, she would have had to pay far less money just to check her bag. Instead, she was forced to pay for her checked bag and has to pay the heft fine on top of it. It is unknown if the woman plans to pay the fine, or if she will put up a stink about that as well.

[Photo by Billy Hathorn via Wikimedia Commons]