According to reports, a couple's disruptive behavior on a recent Hong Kong Airlines aircraft escalated a brawl between passengers, which eventually got physical. 

Initial reports stated that a man and a woman escorting two small children from Bali to Hong Kong got into an altercation with other passengers after they insulted them and complained about "the speed" at which they were leaving the plane, as Fox News reported.

According to the source,passengers reportedly bemoaned the couple being "too slow" and "deliberately bumped into people" as they departed the plane and made their way onto the jet bridge.

Other passengers became engaged, the pair allegedly began to argue with a member of the crew over the problem they were having.

What Videos Showed

The couple is depicted in online videos of the incident, which have since been removed. The male is seen evading a punch from an angry passenger who shouts at them.

Afterward, the couple reportedly attempted to push the flight attendant out of the way and flee the scene, as other passengers reportedly became involved and attempted to resolve the situation, according to the Post.

The woman member of the couple was initially requested by a flight attendant to properly stow her handbag before taking off during a pre-flight check, which caused tensions to rise on the flight, according to one report.

The woman, according to the outlet, shouted at the flight attendant, “I’ll put my bag wherever I want, and no one is allowed to touch it,"  She then “lashed out physically” to them, prompting other flight attendants to intervene and attempt to defuse the situation.

From Parties Involved

A man reportedly referred to the couple as "trash people" while other passengers criticized their behavior, according to one media outlet.

In a statement to the media Hong Kong Airlines confirmed that “appropriate action had been taken against the passengers involved.”

"Hong Kong Airlines takes flight safety and our passengers' traveling experience very seriously. We are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our crew and passengers and have a zero-tolerance policy towards any disruptive behavior or breaches of the Aviation Security Ordinance," the airline added.

Heightened Emotions Over Air Travel

There has been a bit more stress than usual surrounding air travel in recent days, due to the higher-than-normal instance of problems with flights.

Late in January, a midair crash near Washington, DC ended with the deaths of everyone on board an American Airlines flight and the military helicopter that crashed into the plane.

Just days later, another flight crashed in Philadelphia, P.A., adding to the aviation death toll for 2024.

Since then, a number of non-fatal airplane mishaps have made the news, including a flight where the plane was evacuated because it filled with smoke and another where the landing of a passenger jet sheared off a wing and flipped the plane upside down.