Passengers to be compensated because of “extremely dangerous” smoking stunt

An airline passenger in China has been filmed throwing a lighted cigarette on to the apron and stepping on it while standing by the steps of the aircraft on which he had arrived, according to an ECNS.cn story.

China United Airlines yesterday agreed to offer an apology and compensation to some of the passengers on the flight because of incidents in which six people were said to have been caught smoking on or just outside a plane.

‘The passengers evaded airport security checks and brought matches and cigarettes onto the plane,’ the airline said in a statement. Matches are banned on aircraft but are difficult to detect in airport security checks.

A male passenger was found smoking in one of the plane’s toilets an hour after the aircraft took off from Chengdu, at which time the flight attendant asked him surrender the matches and cigarette.

Two hours later, after the plane was diverted to Taiyuan City in Shanxi Province because of bad weather in Beijing, five passengers were seen smoking on the stairs while the aircraft was parked on the apron, according to a passenger whose name was given as Bai.

“It was extremely dangerous,” said Bai, who took a short video of the incident. The fuel tank was beside the smokers.

And though the flight attendants stopped them, one of the smokers threw his butt on the ground and stepped on it.