PUBLISHED ONApril 23, 2026 1:45 PMBYSean LerEven before the dust has settled on the now-viral videos showing a Chinese woman scolding an AirAsia crew member for not speaking Mandarin, a letter of guarantee purportedly written by her has surfaced.
Letters of Guarantee are not legally binding in China, but they are often used by public security agencies there to offer offenders of non-serious infractions an opportunity for reflection and repentance.
Should offenders recommit similar offences, the agencies may then choose to take appropriate action.
In a one-page letter purportedly written by the passenger, surnamed Lee, she detailed key moments of the incident that led to her outburst.
She acknowledged towards the end of the letter that she should not have argued with other passengers, disturbed order, and should have listened to instructions from the cabin crew.
But she devoted a significant portion of the letter to point out that the cabin crew were ineffective and reiterated her point that the crew should have been able to converse in Mandarin on an international flight.
Lee wrote in closing: "But I received two rounds of applause from those onboard."
AsiaOne could not independently verify the authenticity of the letter, but a passenger onboard AirAsia flight D7809 posted screenshots of his Douyin conversation with Lee.
The same letter was seen in one of the media attachments sent by Lee to clarify her side of the story.
On Wednesday (April 22), AirAsia X Flight D7809 from Chongqing to Kuala Lumpur was delayed for more than an hour after the passenger became uncooperative and rowdy.
The incident arose after another passenger reminded the woman not to use her phone when the plane is taking off. This descended into a quarrel after the other passenger began filming her.
A male cabin crew who stepped in to calm matters was chided by the woman for not speaking in Mandarin.
"Shouldn't a cabin crew on board an international flight be able to speak in Mandarin? If he can't even speak basic Mandarin, he doesn't deserve to be in the service industry," the woman said.
She became increasingly agitated, raising her voice as she explained her unhappiness to a ground crew member who knelt down throughout while listening to the woman.
As airport police officers came onboard, she exclaimed that she was prepared to take another flight.
But soon she changed tune: "Can anyone tell me what I've done wrong? Who will compensate me for the time and money lost? Who will resolve my concerns? If you don't compensate me, then let this flight not take off."
She added: "Let me be very clear, I am from China."
@asiaone The Chinese woman, who was earlier advised not to use her phone during take off, was removed from AirAsia X Flight D7809 by officers from Chongqing Police after the plane returned to the aircraft bay. Passengers were delayed by 1 hour 22 minutes, but the plane eventually landed safely at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at about 8.22am on Wednesday (April 22). #news #China #Malaysia #Airline #AirAsia ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
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