Caught on TikTok: Airline ‘urgently’ investigating food-tray mishap

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2023

Thai Airways is investigating why flight attendants on a flight from Singapore to Bangkok failed to remove food trays from passengers’ foldable tables before landing, its corporate communications team announced on Facebook.

The investigation follows a TikTok video showing flight attendants may have been negligent.

On Friday, “Praewa_panicha” posted a video clip on her TikTok page showing food trays left on the foldable tables of three seats. One water bottle fell from a tray during landing, the video clip showed.

No flight attendant removed the food trays from the tables of her and two friends, which inconvenienced them, Praewa said in the clip.

By Sunday, the clip drew over 5,700 reactions and more than 360 comments.

Praewa added in a comment that she rang the bell to summon a flight attendant before landing but none turned up.

On Saturday, Praewa posted a second clip of the flight, providing more details about the inconvenience she and her friends experienced.

She was flying back from Singapore with two friends when she heard an announcement that the plane was preparing to land, she said.

She was startled that the food trays in front of her and her friends had not been removed, she added.

She said again that she pressed a button to summon a flight attendant but none showed up.

Passengers were then told to fasten their seat belts, but the food trays were still there, she explained.

She and friends had to hold the trays in place to prevent a mess, she added.

After landing, she had to get out of her seat and ask a flight attendant to remove the food trays in front of her friends so they could exit their seats, she added.

“Thai Airways International Plc would like to explain that the company has learned of the incident and did not ignore it,” the airline’s Facebook announcement said.

“The incident may have happened because of several factors and the company is in the process of an urgent investigation to find the facts,” it said.

The airline gives priority to passenger safety and has a checklist flight attendants must follow before taking off and landing, it added.