Air New Zealand said police met NZ289 on arrival in Shanghai due to a "passenger disturbance".

A "hangry" passenger on an Air New Zealand flight to Shanghai allegedly scratched and spat at cabin crew because they didn't have her choice of meal.



Air New Zealand said in a statement police met NZ289 on arrival in Shanghai on Thursday morning after a "passenger disturbance" on board.

It is understood that the woman scratched, spat and grabbed at flight crew when she was told they didn't have her preferred meal option.

She apparently tried to "hide" as police boarded the plane.

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TVNZ reporter Katie Bradford said in a Twitter post that the woman "nearly caused a riot when they didn't have the meal she wanted".

"Definition of hangry," Bradford tweeted.

Police boarded my flight in Shanghai because a woman nearly caused a riot when they didn't have the meal she wanted. Definition of Hangry. — Katie Bradford (@katieabradford) April 14, 2016

Bradford praised the airline for doing "a good job in a hard situation".

Air New Zealand could not provide further details as the matter was now with police, a spokeswoman said.

Kelvin Ellis, director of organising for aviation workers at the union E tu, said the incident was an "extreme example of what flight attendants face everyday".

"People get stressed flying, and all sorts of different things happen inflight that affect people's behaviour. You see the best of people and the worst of people in the air."

The incident comes as China's Air Transport Association is attempting to crack down on "uncivilised" passengers following a string of high-profile air rage incidents.

The association recently released a blacklist of passengers, which was supported by five of China's major airlines and would also be shared with civil aviation and tourism agencies, CNN reported.

One of the blacklisted passengers allegedly hurled a carton of milk at airport officials and the X-ray security scanner at check-in, while another was accused of attacking an airport official over a delay.

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