A woman missed her flight at the boarding gate HKIA


HONG KONG (AFP) – Cathay Pacific announced it had apologised to a passenger whose hysterical tantrum after missing a flight from Hong Kong has clocked close to five million hits on YouTube.

Cathay said it had identified the member of its staff who took a mobile telephone video of the woman passenger on February 4.

The video found its way to YouTube and has since become one of the site's most popular clips ever. It has been featured in news reports and TV shows across the world.

The three-minute video starts with the screaming woman running towards the departure gate and bouncing off a female security guard at the Hong Kong airport.

She then starts banging a desk before collapsing to the floor and rolling around, while maintaining a high-pitched wail.

"We have conveyed the findings of our inquiry to the passenger concerned, and her family, and have issued an apology for the inconvenience and embarrassment she may have suffered as a result," a Cathay spokeswoman said.

She said the person who posted the video on YouTube was not a member of staff and that the employee who had recorded the incident had been disciplined.

The airline offered the passenger seat upgrades and air miles, and she had not sought compensation from Cathay, the spokeswoman said.