China Eastern Airlines flight attendant fired after boyfriend proposed to her mid-flight


Passengers check in with China Eastern Airlines at the Hong Kong Airport in Hong Kong, on April 4, 2018.
PHOTO: REUTERS

BEIJING (PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Wedding proposals, for the most part, are romantic in nature - until it causes one to lose his or her job.

An unnamed China Eastern Airlines flight attendant received a heart-warming mid-flight proposal from her boyfriend but this has cost her her job.

In May, the sweet video of her boyfriend asking her hand in marriage went viral on Chinese social media.

The video was first shared by Chinese news video platform Pear Video on May 19. Weibo, a Chinese microblogging site and social media platform, also uploaded the video on its YouTube channel on the same day.

Still in shock, she made use of the in-flight announcement system to thank the passengers who had applauded and filmed the romantic gesture. A recent development on the story, however, put a damper on the supposedly happy event.

Apparently, China Eastern Airlines sent a letter dismissing the flight attendant from the company, according to Liaoning STV via Singapore's Channel 8 on Sept 12.

The dismissal letter apparently stated that the reason she was removed from her post was that the romantic proposal caused a disturbance. Such a disruption could have endangered the safety of the passengers.

The airlines' decision became a point of contention on Chinese social media. Some netizens were against the decision, going as far as to call the airlines' officials "inhuman" for firing her over a marriage proposal.

Others, meanwhile, were in favour of the decision, stating that such romantic gestures should be performed away from the eyes of the public.

"Before the plane takes off, it is important to evenly distribute the weight of the baggage and passengers in the plane," one netizen said, providing an explanation for the airlines' decision.

"A disturbance like that of a marriage proposal may cause passengers to unfasten seat belts and move to different places in the plane. This, in turn, may affect the plane's balance and air flow."

China Eastern Airlines have yet to comment or issue an official statement on the matter, as of this writing.

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