Vietnamese man fined for hitting airline staff after late check-in

Vietnam’s airport authorities said they have fined a man VND7.5 million ($330) for hitting an airline staff member who refused to let him board because due to late check-in.

The 39-year-old man arrived at Tan Son Nhat Airport for a VietJet Air flight leaving for Da Nang last Friday night 14 minutes after the check-in counters had closed, the Southern Airport Authority said. 

A VietJet staff member refused to give him the boarding pass, offering to move his flight to the next day. The angry man then hit the airline employee in the face with his bag, prompting airport security to step in. 

Vietnamese airlines close their check-in counters 40 minutes prior to the departure time of domestic flights, and 50 minutes for international flights.

The Southern Airport Authority also said Monday it was considering a six-month flight ban against a woman from Hanoi who had failed to pay a VND4 million penalty for scolding attendants and loudly arguing with other passengers while boarding a flight on April 3, which had delayed it by 50 minutes.

The woman was reportedly unhappy as the airline changed the boarding gate which she was not aware of and caused her to almost miss the flight. She did not receive the seat that she had booked either. The pilot then refused her service.