Flight attendant held up broken bathroom door for entire 16-hour trip from Hong Kong to New York

The door came off its hinges three minutes after the plane left Hong Kong International Airport

Michelle Del Rey
Wednesday 17 July 2024 17:15 EDT
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A Cathay Pacific Airways plane at Hong Kong International Airport (stock image). A flight attendant was forced to hold a bathroom door during a 16-hour flight from Hong Kong to New York City this week
A Cathay Pacific Airways plane at Hong Kong International Airport (stock image). A flight attendant was forced to hold a bathroom door during a 16-hour flight from Hong Kong to New York City this week (Getty Images)

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A Cathay Pacific Airways flight attendant was stuck holding a bathroom door for 16 hours this week after the door broke minutes after the plane left the tarmac.

The door came off its hinges three minutes after the plane left Hong Kong International Airport heading for John F Kennedy International Airport in New York on Monday, according to the South China Morning Post.

Flight attendants tried to get the door back on its hinges but ultimately weren’t successful. It’s not clear if someone was using the bathroom when the hinges came off.

A Cathay Pacific Airways plane at Hong Kong International Airport. A flight attendant was forced to hold a bathroom door during a 16-hour flight from Hong Kong to New York City this week
A Cathay Pacific Airways plane at Hong Kong International Airport. A flight attendant was forced to hold a bathroom door during a 16-hour flight from Hong Kong to New York City this week (Getty Images)

Photos published by the outlet showed the flight attendant appearing upset while holding the door. The Independent has emailed Cathay Pacific for comment.

In images, the flight attendant appeared to be holding the door from behind as she sat in her seat for takeoff. It’s not clear how the door came off.

Despite the mishap, the flight landed around 5pm on Monday.

In a statement to the South China Morning Post, the airline said: “The defect was rectified and our engineering team is performing a follow-up investigation. The safety of our customers and crew guides every decision we make. We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused.”

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