Social-media users launched the campaign on Thursday on Change.org with the aim of getting 39,500 names, which is 100 times the number of the traveller reviews on AirAsia on the Skytrax website, Airlinequality.com.

The campaign got more than 26,000 supporters as of yesterday.

Skytrax is a United Kingdom-based consultancy that runs an airline and airport review and ranking website.

Last week, there was a widespread furore after a Thai AirAsia cabin-crew member was forced by a superior to prostrate before an autistic passenger, after the passenger’s mother complained that the flight attendant had insulted her daughter.

Following the incident, AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes flew to Bangkok and issued an apology. The CEO’s plan to meet the parents of the flight attendant in Hat Yai, Songkhla on Friday to apologise was cancelled, reportedly after the parents turned down the offer.

The flight attendant claimed that she simply asked the autistic passenger what was wrong because the passenger appeared to be acting erratically while on a plane. She reportedly did not know the passenger is autistic. The campaign to have the airline dumped from the Skytrax awards was launched with a note that stated there were concerns about Thai AirAsia’s security and its treatment of staff given what had happened to the flight attendant.

Those who launched the campaign said that although Fernandes apologised on the airline’s behalf, AirAsia had not taken any action against the senior employee who made the flight attendant prostrate herself. Her act was recorded and posted on the Internet. “All of this makes us passengers of Thai AirAsia very concerned about our safety on its flights,” the campaign note said.

The campaigners said the way Thai AirAsia handled the situation could set a bad precedent if there were similar incidents in the future.

They said cabin-crew members may now avoid dealing with certain passengers who needed immediate attention, which could be harmful to those passengers and jeopardise the safety of other passengers.