Man wants to sit next to girlfriend on Tokyo-Shanghai flight, fights with cabin crew for 2 hours, plane turns around

A flight bound for Shanghai, China, from Tokyo's Narita International Airport was forced to make an emergency U-turn on Dec. 1 after a heated squabble broke out between a male passenger and the cabin crew.

The man was upset that his request to be seated with his girlfriend was turned down.

Refused to pay for seat change

According to Jimu News, the Spring Airlines flight, IJ005, was scheduled to take off from Narita International Airport on Dec. 1.

After boarding, a man approached the cabin crew and asked for a seat swap so that he and his girlfriend could be seated together, according to a passenger.

The man apparently refused to pay for the swap and his request was turned down.

At 7:19pm, the flight departed the airport and set off for Shanghai, as indicated on the Spring Airlines website.

The quarrel between the man and the cabin crew continued for almost two hours after take-off, Guang Min Daily reported.

The crew eventually decided to alert the police, which forced the pilots to make an emergency U-turn.

Affected passengers slept at airport

At about 10:59pm, the flight touched down back at Narita International Airport and the man was escorted off by local police.

The rest of the passengers were left waiting for a rescheduled flight at 10am on Dec. 2.

Affected passengers told Jimu News that the airline offered a 10,000 yen (S$83) compensation, but did not provide accommodation.

As a result, they were left to sleep on benches and chairs around the airport.

Spring Airlines is a budget carrier headquartered in Shanghai.

Top image via Jimu News