San Francisco: A shocking video has gone viral on social media showing two passengers engaging in a brutal physical confrontation on an EVA Air Flight BR08 going from Taiwan to San Francisco, California, over an empty seat. The two passengers were having a verbal argument after one of them allegedly poached an empty seat, which quickly escalated into a physical brawl.
According to the New York Post, the fight broke out on Tuesday merely three hours after takeoff when one of the passengers decided to switch seats because his neighbour was coughing and took the other's seat. When the original occupant returned, he argued furiously with the other man who took the seat without asking and tried to hit him.
The man managed to get a good hit as three flight attendants quickly stepped in and tried to stop the confrontation, with one holding him from behind and the other pushing him back, as the video shows. Just when it looked the fight had been settled, the man who took the seat suddenly approached the other man, pushing the flight attendant and taking a big swing at him.
The two men tussled and exchanged blows in the aisle as passengers screamed, before several people stepped in to help the crew separate them. Following the altercation, the two men continued to point and shout at each other but were kept separate for the remainder of the flight. They were handed over to San Francisco police following their arrival.
The Taiwanese airline has yet to release a statement about the incident. Netizens on social media criticised the two men for fighting so violently over an empty seat and applauded the bravery of the stewardess who helped break up the fight.
"I’m so afraid that the stewardess will be punched. There was a conflict on the Evergreen flight to San Francisco! Eva Air. "Passengers fight each other over seats" stewardess bravely breaks up the fight," wrote Alex Pierce, who uploaded the video.
"When this happens, would aircrew accept assistance from a trained person to restrain any violent customers? Always see grown men more interested recording cabin crew being swamped by violent males who can’t handle their alcohol," wrote another netizen. "Hats off to the flight attendants’ professionalism and quick intervention. Wonder if any punishment was handed to these passengers," said another individual.
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