New Delhi:
A female cancer patient, who recently underwent surgery, was reportedly unloaded from an American Airlines flight to New York at Delhi airport after enlisting help from a flight attendant to keep her handbag in the air cabin.
The incident was reported on January 30 and came to light after the United States-based traveler, identified as Meenakshi Sengupta, filed a complaint against the flight attendant, accusing them of refusing to help her carry the handbag weighing more than 5 pounds on the plane. upper cabin because she couldn’t because of weak limbs.
In her complaint to the Delhi Police and Civil Air, Meenakshi Sengupta said she had also asked for wheelchair support for her chair: “I also wore a brace which was visible to everyone and they would know that I have some discomfort. .because I I can’t bear any weight in my hands at all and I’m weak from the surgery and don’t have to strain myself by walking a lot.”
She said: “The ground staff were very helpful and helped me get on the plane and put my handbag on the side of the seat. Once in the flight, I had a conversation with the flight attendant and explained my health condition to them. . .None of them mentioned putting my handbag away. After the flight was about to depart, the lights in the cabin were dimmed. At that moment, a flight attendant came to put my handbag in the baggage compartment. I asked her to helping me put my handbag away but she refused to do this and told me it is not her job to do it.”
Sengupta went on to say that she had “repeatedly” asked her to help, but the latter rudely rejected her request and asked her to go it alone and walked away.
“She was extremely rude and arrogant with her words,” Sengupta claimed, adding that when she went to complain about the incident, the plane members were “largely indifferent” and told her they didn’t want to get involved at all, she claimed.
“They said if I’m that uncomfortable then I should just disembark. They were collective in their decision to let me disembark,” Sengupta said.
The incident also went viral on social media and people urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) to take note of the matter.
“Disgusting behavior by @AmericanAir staff towards a #cancer patient – Meenakshi Sengupta who was kicked off the flight for not hanging up her handbag as cancer has made her arms weak and the crew won’t help. Shameful @DCWDelhi @SwatiJaiHind, take note @Pib_MoCA,” said one Twitter user.
Meanwhile, India’s regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has taken note of the matter and asked American Airlines to submit its report.
The airline said in its official statement that its Customer Relations team has contacted Sengupta to refund the unused portion of her ticket.
“On January 30, prior to the departure of American Airlines Flight 293 from Delhi (DEL) to New York (JFK), a disruptive customer was removed from the aircraft for not following the crew member’s instructions. Our Customer Relations team has contacted the customer to refund the unused portion of their ticket,” the airline said, adding that an investigation into the matter is ongoing.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NewsMadura staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured video of the day
Car drags parked bicycle 4 kilometers in Gurugram
