HANOI, Vietnam -- As VietJet Air flight 175 prepared to leave Hanoi for Ho Chi Minh City, a 43-year-old passenger opened the emergency exit door because he wanted to go to the bathroom.
Nguyen Thanh Chuong, a farmer from a village on the outskirts of Hanoi, activated the Airbus A321's evacuation slide, causing a three-hour delay and costing the airline tens of thousands of dollars. He's not alone. The sudden creation of a middle class and the rise of discount carriers is causing headaches for flight crews and ground staff across Asia as the world's fastest-growing region for aviation welcomes millions of new fliers.
"People are now more mobile than they have been in the history of mankind," said Graham Hunt, head of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Asia in Singapore. "The fact that you have people who have never before seen an airplane getting on airplanes is a real challenge."
Vietnam will be among the 10 fastest-growing aviation markets in the world in the next two decades, according to the International Air Transport Association. One in five of the nation's 90 million citizens flies today and within two decades virtually all Vietnamese are expected to travel by air, according to Airbus Group SE.
Chuong's decision to open the emergency-row door in April cost VietJet about $30,000 and a chain-reaction of flight delays, Managing Director Luu Duc Khanh said in an email. The airline, which has been operating for almost four years, said that at least 30 percent of the 10 million passengers it will handle this year will be first-time fliers.
Khanh advocated better communication and education for the public, as well as "sterner warnings from airlines and aviation regulators" to reduce the number of such incidents. Chuong was fined $687, but was excused after he showed that he lives below the poverty line and his family is recognized for contributing to the nation's revolution.
While opening an emergency door costs time and money, aircraft design makes it impossible to do so while the plane is in the air. Yet other blunders occur that compromise safety as well as profits.
Among 300 air-security violations last year, Vietnam had two near-collisions, two incidents where air traffic controllers lost contact with planes preparing to land, one plane that went to the wrong airport and a hijacking scare when a pilot accidentally pushed the wrong button, according to reports in Tuoi Tre newspaper.
Aviation security violations jumped 96 percent in the first half of 2014, Viet Nam News reported in July.
Stories of confused and errant first-timers meddling with emergency exits regularly crop up. A 61-year-old opened one in July in Thanh Hoa province, claiming he forgot Vietnam Airlines' instruction not to do so without a cabin attendant's permission, while a farmer opened another one in April to get some fresh air, according to local media.
"We're trained to keep a close eye on passengers sitting near the exit doors," said Huong Nguyen, 32, who has worked as a flight attendant for two carriers, including one based in Vietnam.
VietJet said it also stations cabin crew outside bathrooms to avoid mishaps when first-time fliers fail to lock the door, and tells passengers to use airsickness bags to dispose of chewing gum.
"It took me a while to figure out what to do," said Le Ngoc Linh, a 24-year-old Hanoi hairdresser who boarded her first flight about five months ago. "I saw a woman walking back and forth down the aisle, looking for the toilet."
Cases of passengers harassing or abusing staff are common. A 35-year-old Hanoi resident was barred from flying for six months for slapping an airport employee in April after being told her carry-on luggage exceeded weight limits, Thanh Nien newspaper said. Another woman was fined $344 for kicking a VietJet employee in June, Tuoi Tre reported.
Flight attendants are trained in martial arts to fend off unwanted touching, Huong said.
Vietnam gradually liberalized its aviation market, fostering low-fare airlines such as Jetstar Pacific Airlines Aviation JSC and VietJet that have brought air travel within the reach of millions. A round-trip ticket between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City -- the distance from London to Oslo -- can cost as little as $108.
At the same time Vietnamese have more money to spend on travel. Vietnam's per capita income doubled to $1,740 in 2013 from 2007, according to the World Bank.
Meanwhile, flight attendant Huong and her colleagues are keeping an eye out for those newcomers. Most are easy to spot because they look nervous or excited, she said. "Some of them carry helmets and sometimes they put their helmets on when the plane is landing."
A Section on 07/05/2015