Severe Tropical Storm Paeng battered the Philippines over the weekend, causing strong rains and massive flooding that resulted in the deaths of 98.
As one would expect, several flights were cancelled in the wake of the storm. But while sudden flight cancellations can be a bummer for any traveler, only some lose their cool and go berserk at airline staff members as a result. A video of one woman doing just that has led to debate over whether her outburst was justified or not.
The video was originally shared on Tiktok by @jackie_solo_traveller on Sunday. It has racked up nearly 3 million views so far.
@jackie_solo_traveller Typhoon in the Philippines causing lots of flights to be cancelled. My flight was cancelled 10 mins before its supposed takeoff time. Then staff from the airline closed the only help desk and told us to manage our own flights #philippines #typhoon #flight #cancelled ♬ original sound – Jackie_the_solo_traveller
The caption says: “Typhoon in the Philippines causing lots of flights to be cancelled. My flight was cancelled 10 mins before its supposed takeoff time. Then staff from the airline closed the only help desk and told us to manage our own flights”.
The video depicts a woman screaming at a ground crew member of Cebu Pacific, a low-cost carrier.
“We need answers,” the woman is heard saying in the clip. “So don’t tell me, ‘Manage your own fucking booking’ because we’ve been doing that since a while ago! Do you understand?”
The staff member is seen trying to explain her side, to which the woman retorts, “So get your manager.” The employee tries to reason with her, but the passenger insists that the crew member fetch her supervisor. The video ends with the passenger’s companion trying to pacify her.
The video was then reposted to Reddit with the inflammatory title: “Flights cancelled from the Philippines due to poor weather, person loses it at airline workers who have no control over weather conditions.”
“The manager is going to fix the weather,” one Redditor sarcastically commented.
“She wants to talk to the manager about the weather,” another wrote.
“Spoiled brat. Looks like she isn’t used to getting her way,” one noted.
However, other users said that the Reddit title didn’t provide the full context, noting that the woman’s outrage was specifically about the booking issue, not the weather.
“That’s a major problem with local airlines. For any cancellations due to unforeseen events, you’re on your own. Happened to me in Cebu, they just cancelled everything and were not helpful at all with anything. Happened to me again during the Resorts World Manila siege, we were left at the door of NAIA 3, no clue as to what was happening. We just waited for five hours while people kept arriving and piling onto the lines,” one Redditor wrote, referring to the 2017 attack at Resorts World Manila that resulted in 39 deaths and 70 injured.
One user who claimed to know the woman in the video said, “I messaged her earlier today because her name was trending again. According to her, at 7am, Cebu Pacific cancelled their flight and told them to go home and manage their own booking. Their help desk was already closed so they did not know what to do.”
Another user said that, given the context, the woman’s outburst was understandable if not justifiable.
“Not really excusing the behavior. As a frequent traveler, I know how stressful it is to have cancelled flights (especially with a connecting flight) then you are not given any proper and prompt advice. As someone who’s worked in the customer service industry, there’s nothing worse than being berated in front of a crowd, and they’re only messengers so they can only do so much. Cebu Pacific is infamous for its poor management of such cases though, so it’s only right that she look for a supervisor,” they wrote.
