Absolutely ridiculous policy — woken up for resting on an empty seat
I have taken over 200 flights and travelled to 56 countries, and I have NEVER experienced anything as absurd as what happened on my Hainan Airlines flight. I was sitting by the window in economy class, with another passenger in the aisle seat and the middle seat completely empty. During the flight, while other passengers were sleeping, I placed my small backpack on part of the empty middle seat and rested my head on it, keeping my legs on my own window seat. I wasn’t occupying the entire middle seat, disturbing anyone, or preventing another passenger from using it. I was asleep, wearing an eye mask, when a flight attendant actually woke me up just to tell me that I was not allowed to lie on the empty seat because I hadn’t paid for it! Seriously? The seat was EMPTY! What makes this even more ridiculous is that the flight attendant had no objection to my backpack remaining on that same seat. Apparently, the problem was simply that I was trying to sleep more comfortably. After more than 200 flights with many different airlines around the world, I have never encountered such an unnecessarily rigid and passenger-unfriendly approach. I fully understand that airlines have rules and that cabin crew must enforce safety requirements. But waking up a sleeping passenger during a normal flight, when nobody was being disturbed and no specific safety concern was explained, seems completely unreasonable. If this is genuinely Hainan Airlines’ official policy, it is one of the most disappointing examples of customer service I have experienced in aviation. An empty seat apparently matters more than a passenger’s comfort. I am extremely disappointed with Hainan Airlines and would think twice before choosing this airline again.