Bizarre footage of an elderly man begging for money onboard a Qatar Airways flight has recently emerged. According to the popular ‘View from a Wing‘ blog, the flight was sitting on the tarmac at Doha International Airport waiting to depart for Shiraz in Iran when the incident unfolded.
The male can be seen standing in the aisle, holding out a plastic pouch and apparently asking his fellow passengers for money. A dumbfounded flight attendant attempts to persuade the man to sit down, telling him that he is delaying departure.
“Sir, please have a seat. I understand you, sir, but we’re about to take off,” the flight attendant tells the man who seemingly ignores her. Other flight attendants approach the man and one passenger even gives the elderly gentleman some cash.
Reports in the UK’s tabloid newspaper, The Daily Mail says the video footage has already been viewed more than 25,000 times. The incident is said to have taken place in the last few days.
Some commentators have questioned where the man got the money to buy his plane ticket, with the newspaper saying a basic one-way fare from Doha to Shiraz normally costs around $525 USD.
The footage cuts off before the man takes a seat so it’s unclear how much negotiation went into getting him to sit down or whether he was off-loaded from the flight.
