Air China faces heat for allegedly sneaking Red Cross official past closed boarding gate
Airline denies it let elite-card-toting executive on flight while refusing to let another late passenger board
An Air China official batted down accusations that the airline broke Chinese aviation regulations by allowing a Red Cross official to board a plane even after the gates closed – despite turning away another late passenger moments before.
The rebuffed passenger claimed the charity official was allowed on the airplane because she was a Phoenix Miles elite member. Based on a photo and information from ground crew, the complainant identified the executive as Zhao Baige, vice-president of the state-backed Red Cross Society of China.
A spokesperson from Air China told the today that the privileges for life-long Phoenix Miles Platinum card holders like Zhao did not include the right to board planes after gates are shut.
The cardholder has to fly one million Air China miles to qualify for that membership, the spokesperson said.
When reporters asked him to elaborate, Fan said, “[The accusation] could be a misunderstanding … Planes only report to ground controllers after the gate is closed.”
