Angry passengers have blocked a taxiway at Guangzhou's Baiyun Airport in protest at their delayed flight. Authorities say that the protest didn't lead to a serious problem, and their plane took off soon after.

Angry passengers have blocked a taxiway at Guangzhou's Baiyun Airport in protest at their delayed flight.

Several pilots posted a microblog Friday afternoon saying a group of passengers were blocking planes as they tried to taxi, but that no one had been hurt. "A group of passengers suddenly rushed from the right side to the front of the plane as we were riding to the taxiway. Fortunately we have turned to our position."

The incident is the second in three days. Some of the passengers got angry at the departure gate and ran on to the taxiway. They say they were delayed for hours due to bad weather. They say the airline was not informative and was rude in dealing with the problem.

Delayed passengers said, "The flight was due to take off at 12:40, and was delayed till 1:40. But we couldn't see any information on the screen."

"My schedule has been ruined, and no one's been to tell me what's happening. I'll just have to wait here."

"Their service is terrible. All staff had a bad attitude. They sent us here and there, without telling us why."

Hainan Airlines confirmed later that all the passengers on the flight boarded after talks. Earlier, more than 20 passengers at Shanghai's Pudong airport also protested over their delay. They each got 1000 yuan compensation afterwards.

Some are now worried other people will follow their example. A passenger said, "This will surely encourage others to block a plane as they did. It's the air companies' responsibility for the delay, but passengers shouldn't take such drastic action to resolve the issue."

Lawyers also warn that such behavior could even lead to jail. Tan Yixiang, a lawyer, said, "According to law, they could be sentenced to more that 5 years in prison. If people gather and riot, leading to a tragedy or other danger, the sentence will be even more severe."

Heavy rains swept across southern China on Friday, grounding more than 100 flights at the airport. Most flights resumed by the evening when the weather improved.

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