Airline Defends Dragging Passenger From Plane

Image: PHOTO: Bucharest airport (photo courtesy PashaIgnatov/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
Image: PHOTO: Bucharest airport (photo courtesy PashaIgnatov/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
Janeen Christoff
by Janeen Christoff
Last updated: 7:32 PM ET, Fri July 19, 2019

Shocking footage shows an airline passenger being forcibly removed from Romanian airline Tarom.

The incident took place before takeoff on a flight from Bucharest to Cairo. A couple seated in emergency exit rows refused to leave the aircraft.

Reports in the Independent suggest that there was a series of events that led to the husband being forcibly removed, starting with the refusal to remove bags stowed under their exit row seats and that the wife was not able to speak Romanian or English, which is another requirement for exit row seating.

The man refused to leave the aircraft after being asked and the woman was accused of spitting on a flight attendant.

Passenger Viorica Hagagg, who was onboard the plane, captured the dragging incident and posted the footage to Facebook.

The airline defends its actions and says it acted in this manner to adhere to European regulations, but also says that it regrets the incident.

In a statement, Tarom said that it couldn't allow a passenger to "endanger the safety and security of other passengers."


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Janeen Christoff

Janeen Christoff

Executive Editor - AGENTatHOME | TravelPulse Content Strategy

Editor Executive Editor - AGENTatHOME | TravelPulse Content Strategy true [email protected] 9088 14744 Janeen Christoff caught the travel bug while living in London, England. After two years on the road, she settled in Los Angeles and focused her writing on

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