Thai Airways cabin crew suspended over a TikTok passenger complaint

Cabin crew members at Thai Airways have been suspended following a complaint from a passenger posted on social media platform TikTok. Flight attendants failed to clear passenger tray tables before landing, a clear violation of safety procedures. The airline has dealt with the matter swiftly.

Cabin crew fail to clear trays before landing
A few days ago, Thai Airways revealed it was conducting an urgent investigation after a passenger’s video went viral on TikTok. The video, posted by user Praewa_panicha, showed her and two friends landing at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) with all three of their tray tables open and still holding food trays.

According to Praewa Nang Mana, she had rung the bell for assistance twice before landing, but flight attendants failed to clear their tables. It appears the three friends weren’t the only ones, with Praewa adding that some other passengers apparently also didn’t have their trays cleared.

As the aircraft lands in Bangkok following a flight from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), a water bottle is seen falling onto the floor. Praewa claimed that the tray tables made it difficult to buckle their seatbelts, while they had to hold onto the trays during landing to prevent further mess.

In a later video, Praewa said that cabin crew didn’t perform checks before landing to ensure tables were stowed and failed to clear the food trays even after landing. She then had to get out of her seat and ask a cabin member to clear their tables so that her two friends were able to get out.

A month’s unpaid suspension
The airline’s communications team said that, following an urgent investigation, cabin crew were found to have failed their obligations and suspended for a month without pay, along with being issued a written warning.

The crew members will also be required to undergo intensive security training before they return to work. Thai Airways added that it has an obligation to passenger safety and has a checklist that its cabin crew are required to follow at takeoff and landing.

Thai Airways commented, “Thai Airways would like to stress that the company holds the safety of passengers to the utmost importance. Cabin crew has a checklist to ensure the orderliness of the cabin prior to take off and landing and must work according to international aviation safety standards.”

What are the rules?
As per the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) regulations, “no operator may move an aircraft on the surface, take off, or land when any food, beverage, or tableware furnished by the operator is located at any passenger seat.” simpleflying.com and Praewa_panicha