A young woman has claimed she was forced off a flight because her suspected nose job posed a potential risk to other passengers.
The 19-year-old passenger surnamed Xiang was set to fly from Beijing to Ningbo with China Eastern Airlines on August 4 when her bandaged nose caught the eyes of cabin crew.
Xiang said she was approached by the head flight attendant who accused her of recently having a procedure done and told her to get off the plane.
According to Xiang, the employee cited a company policy from July that said those who have had plastic surgery within 15 days are not permitted to travel due to health risks.
Otherwise, a medical release from a doctor is required.
Xiang told staff she had recently been injured in a horseback riding accident and offered to take off the bandage as proof.
"The cut had already scabbed over, but it was hot that day and I was afraid it would get infected so I bandaged it up,"Xiang said.
However, the head flight attendant refused her offer. Xiang said she was eventually "strongly urged" to get off the plane and forced to book a same-day flight to Beijing.
The flight attendant refused to comment, media reported.
The cited policy, posted in July on the China Eastern website, points out that changes in cabin pressure can cause blood to clot in people who have just undergone surgery, posing a safety risk.
Air travel is largely not recommended within the first week after plastic surgery due to risks of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
Xiang has filed complaints with the airline and civil aviation authorities over the incident.
