SEOUL, South Korea — Drunken and boorish behavior, cellphones, crying children and reclining seats have all led to episodes of flight rage. But a bag of macadamia nuts?

Criticism has come nonstop for Korean Air Lines since it was discovered that one of its executives had ordered a flight from New York to Incheon, South Korea, to return to the gate to kick the senior flight attendant off the plane in a tiff over how the executive was served the nuts.

This was no ordinary executive on Korean Air Flight 86, as it turned out: Cho Hyun-ah was not only in charge of in-flight service for Korean Air, but is also a daughter of the chairman of the family-run conglomerate that operates the airline.

Ms. Cho, who resigned Tuesday after an outburst of another sort of rage — on social and traditional media — became irate on Friday after a flight attendant served nuts without first asking her, and in an unopened package instead of on a plate.