Assuming everything was going to be fine, Bonett boarded the flight, only to discover that the new seating arrangement had disrupted the plans of a couple and one member of a family of three. As chance would have it, Bonett actually knew the male member of the couple from their school days.

“They told us we were sitting in their seats, I got out our boarding passes to double-check and showed them to them, but they told me that the seats had just been changed,” he said. “My heart sank at that moment and I told them that I didn’t know what to do but that my family must travel next to each other.”

Bonett said the situation turned “chaotic”, with the couple shouting at them and the family kindly insisting that they also deserve to sit side by side.

“Eventually, the air hostess came over and started panicking because the flight was jam-packed, and I tried to calm things down and tell the people involved that the situation will be sorted out.”

The situation resolved itself when a young man who was sitting behind Bonett’s wife’s and who had a spare seat next to him offered his seat up to the couple.

“At that moment, I thought he was an angel,” Bonett said.

Meanwhile, Bonett gave up his seat to accommodate the third member of the aggrieved family and joined his own family after take-off, keeping his two-year-old son on his lap. He said he chatted to the angry couple during the flight and that they exchanged season’s greetings at the end of it.

“When we arrived in London, I assumed it was all over… but then two weeks later, a story was published.”

The story, published by The Shift News, states that Air Malta staff had told relocated passengers that they had to change their pre-booked seating arrangements to accommodate a “VIP”, who turned out to be Bonett.

“This sheer arrogance is even worse as Bonett was traveling on a holiday and not on some government business. If he wanted to be comfortable, he should have paid business class for his family, as he does when he travels at the government’s expense for some conference or other,” one passenger was quoted as saying.

Questioned about the “VIP” comment, Bonett said he cannot answer for what Air Malta had told passengers at the check-in desk as his family had checked in at the airport’s ministerial lounge.

“All I know is that I requested the seats which I had booked for my family. I don’t know who made the mistake but I know it wasn’t me and I didn’t ask for anything other than what I had paid.”

“At no point was I arrogant with anyone on the plane. That’s not in my nature and the character portrayed in the Shift News article isn’t me. It hurt me, I know many people who can vouch for my character and what I’m made of.”

Earlier today, independent politician Arnold Cassola asked the incoming Standards Commissioner to investigate Bonett over the Air Malta seat confusion, stating that “elected MPs should lead by example”.

What do you make of Chris Bonett’s explanation?