Flight to Bangkok is delayed for two hours because off-duty pilots demanded first class seats

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Flight from Zurich to Bangkok delayed by on- and off-duty Thai Air pilots
Two off-duty pilots demanded first class seats for the flight
The on-duty pilot refused to take off until colleagues got preferred seats

Published: 04:59 EDT, 22 October 2018 | Updated: 05:12 EDT, 22 October 2018

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The president of Thai Airways has been forced to make a public apology after a flight was delayed in Switzerland because two off-duty pilots demanded to sit in first class.

When no first class passengers offered to give up their seats for the Thai Airways staff-members, the on-duty pilot refused to take off until someone did.

The flight from Zurich to Bangkok ended up being delayed for two hours until a couple agreed to move down to business class.

Delay drama: When no first class passengers offered to give up their seats for the Thai Air staff members on the flight from Zurich to Bangkok, the on-duty pilot refused to take off until someone did (file photo)

'I express sorrow and apologise to all passengers affected by the unprofessional action that caused the delay,'Thai Airways president Sumeth Damrongchaitham said in a statement according to Bangkok Post.

'I apologise to the passengers who were directly affected by the seat change. I take responsibility for the incident.'

The flight from Zurich has been due to take off at 1.30pm but ended up being more than two hours late.

Despite making up for some time during the flight, it still reportedly landed in Bangkok 90 minutes after scheduled arrival.

The couple who agreed to move down to business class later filed a complaint to Thai Airways, saying passengers had been effectively 'held hostage' by the flight crew.

Prominent travel blogger One Mile At A Time has since highlighted a mitigating factor - that no first class seats had been sold and that the passengers in first class had all paid for business and been upgraded - but added that the incident is 'still bad' and 'ridiculous'.