Nok Air slammed for ill treatment of a disabled passenger

A Thai man slammed Nok Air airline for the appalling treatment of his disabled father that descended into a farcical game of musical chairs. The man revealed on TikTok that he booked special seats for his parents, because his father is disabled, but was told to move to facilitate some VIP passengers. The airline denied the accusation, saying “one of the booked seats was broken.”

TikToker Aroondet posted a video on Tuesday to complain about the service provided by the Thai low-cost airline Nok Air.

In the video, Aroondet explained that he booked a Nok Air round trip between Ubon Ratchathani and Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport for his folks so they could see his graduation ceremony in the capital.

Arrondet said he paid extra to book the seats in the front row to facilitate his father, who could not walk very far due to a slipped disk in his lower back. The seats that he booked were 8J and 8K.

On the day of the flight, the ground staff gave his parents seats 16J and 16H instead without explaining why.

His father refused to sit in the assigned seats because they were emergency exit seats, which are generally reserved for passengers who can assist in an emergency.

However, a female cabin crew member forced him to sit down, saying, “Sit, sit, you can sit there.”

Arrondet then said the captain of the flight asked his parents to move seats again because his disability meant he was unable to support the crew in the emergency.

His father told the captain…

“I already refused and told your team about that but they ignored it.”

The man’s parents were moved again, to the back of the plane, which is a pretty long walk for a disabled person.

Aroondet released another video to provide an update on the situation after being contacted by Nok Air. According to the airline, they informed him that seat 8J was malfunctioning and could not be utilized.

Aroondet questioned the airline’s decision to take off despite having broken parts on the plane. He emphasized the importance of the airline prioritizing safety and ensuring their passengers are informed about the safety standards in place during flights.

Arrondet said the airline offered him a full refund on the ticket price and a premium service package, but he refused it. He said…

“I refused to take it and urged the Nok Air workers to donate money to a charity. I also urged them to report this to the CEO and urged the CEO to learn more about the slipped disk symptoms to understand passengers more.”