Malaysian actress got backlash for asking stewardess to carry her bag

When a well-known Malaysian model-actress went online to rant about the supposed poor service of an air stewardess on a recent flight, she probably didn't expect to unleash the wrath of the Internet's madding crowd on herself.

Interestingly, Nur Fathia Abdul Latiff received a torrent of snide remarks after she complained in a tweet that a Malaysia Airlines stewardess refused to assist her in putting her luggage in the overhead compartment. The celebrity said the stewardess told her she had a backache.

Nur Fathia, who starred in movies and TV dramas like Nasi Lemak 2.0 and Nur Kasih, posted that tweet in Malay with a photo of the stewardess.

She also said the stewardess should get some rest instead of working if she had backache, and signed off with sarcasm - 'Kudos @masMalaysia".
 

The actress, who apparently flew on the MAS flight over the weekend, posted two more tweets, this time in English, late on Sunday night (Dec 4), defending her stance after some netizens hit out at her diva behaviour.

In one message, she claimed that she "didn't command" the stewardess to carry her bag, but was "just asking her" for a "favour to assist me to put the bag in the overhead compartment".

In another tweet, she went on to accuse the stewardess of being "rude by raising her voice and making faces".

"It doesn't matter wherever you (sic) sit. Economy or business. Etiquette is etiquette," she wrote.

[embed]https://twitter.com/fatiyalatiff/status/805420603972800512[/embed]

But netizens were quick to give reasons why an airline's cabin crew might not help stow a passenger's bag in the overhead compartment.

They explained that cabin crew members not obligated to do so as hand-carry bags are meant to be much lighter than check-in luggage pieces.

Said one indignant Facebook user: "Do you think air stewardesses are there to carry your bags? You idiot."
 

Netizens said the actress should familarise herself with flight rules as stated in the Going Places Malaysia Airlines' On Board Magazine.

[embed]https://twitter.com/Bebelleyy/status/805433874671017984[/embed]
 

According to the magazine, cabin crew are not required to stow passenger's hand luggage into overhead stowage compartment as the airline has to observe occupational, safety and health regulations.

"This is to minimise occupational hazard and ergonomic risks faced by cabin crew in the aircraft. Cabin crew on duty will, however, assist passengers with infants, young passengers travelling alone, the elderly and passengers with reduced mobility. Passengers who are fit and and in good health must carry, stow and secure their own hand luggage on board," it said.

Hand luggage exceeding 7kg in weight must be be checked in before boarding, added the magazine.

DiscoverKL site reported one netizen as saying: ""She's (Nur Fathia) just being a nuisance. If I were that stewardess, I would have done the same thing. If you think your bag is heavy, please put it in the cargo. If you think you can't lift your bag because it is **** heavy, how do you expect the crew to lift yours?"

Said another in the same article: "Please follow the airline procedure even if you're a well-known artiste...Each airline has their own safety and security procedure.

"Would you like it if the aircraft encounters (sic) a thunderstorm and the overhead compartment opens and the bag falls on you? You would then complain that it is the airline's fault as well. This is the lazy mentality of Malaysians."

chenj@sph.com.sg