Woman Opens Plane’s Emergency Exit to Get Some “Fresh Air”

One woman aboard a Xiamen Air flight did just that when she started feeling a bit “stuffy,” as the aircraft was preparing for takeoff. She delayed the takeoff for about an hour and ended up in police custody, NDTV reports, so it’s safe to say she got plenty of fresh air after her stunt.

NDTV notes that the incident occurred at the beginning of the week, on a flight from Wuhan, Hubei Province, to Lanzhou in Gansu, in China. Cabin crew told the police that the woman opened the emergency exit door during boarding and that the ensuing commotion caused a delay in the flight by about an hour.

A fellow passenger recorded a video of the incident, and it went viral after it was shared on social media. The same media outlet notes that the female passenger is seen explaining to cabin crew that she “needed some fresh air,” which is why she pushed the button that opens the emergency exit.

As is the procedure in these cases, cabin crew called the police and they boarded the plane and arrested the woman. Further details about the incident have not been released to the press.

While it’s funny to hear someone assumed they could just crack open the emergency exit on a plane as if they would a window in their home or office, to get fresh air, incidents like this lead to delays and a lot of trouble for everyone else, from cabin crew to the other passengers.

Whenever you’re on board an aircraft, you must be mindful of all security procedures and that includes not touching or pressing buttons that you don’t know what are for. Last but not least, we all know adulting can be hard at times, and a packed plane is not the place to start slacking on it.