New Delhi:
A female cancer patient, who has just undergone surgery, is said to have been kicked off an American Airlines flight to New York at Delhi airport after she asked a flight attendant for help to hold the plane. your carry-on bag in the upper passenger compartment.
The incident was reported on January 30 and it came to light after a traveler living in the United States, identified as Meenakshi Sengupta, complained to flight attendants accusing them of refusing to help her book the plane. bags weighing more than 5 pounds into the bin. cabin overhead because she was unable to do so due to weak limbs.
In her complaint to the Delhi Police and Civil Aviation Department, Meenakshi Sengupta said that she also requested wheelchair assistance for her seat, “I am also wearing a brace that everyone can see. see and they will know that I have some discomfort . . . because I CANNOT carry any heavy objects in my arms and I am weak after the surgery and don’t need to exert myself by walking a lot.”
She said: “The ground staff was very supportive and helped me get on the plane and put my bag on the side of the seat. Once inside, I chatted with the flight attendant and I explained. my health status to them..No one mentioned putting my bag in. When the flight was about to take off, the cabin lights dimmed. At that moment a flight attendant came to leave my hand bag. I was in the upper compartment, I asked her to help me put my bag away, but she refused and told me it was not her job.”
Sengupta further mentioned that she had “many times” asked her for help but the person then rudely refused her request and asked her to do it herself and then left.
“She was extremely rude and arrogant in her words,” Sengupta alleged, adding that when she went to complain about the incident, the plane members were “virtually indifferent” and told her. that they didn’t want to interfere at all, she alleges.
“They said if I felt uncomfortable I could just get off the plane. They agreed to let me off the plane,” Sengupta said.
The incident also went viral on social media and people called on the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) to take note of the matter.
“The disgusting behavior of @AmericanAir staff towards a #cancer patient – Meenakshi Sengupta, who was kicked off a flight for not hanging up her bag because her cancer had left her arm weak and crew won’t help Shame @DCWDelhi @SwatiJaiHind please note @Pib_MoCA,” one Twitter user said.
Meanwhile, India’s regulator – the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) became aware of the incident and asked American Airlines to submit its report.
In its official statement, the airline said its Customer Relations team had contacted Sengupta to refund her unused portion of the ticket.
“On January 30, before American Airlines Flight 293 departed from Delhi (DEL) to New York (JFK), a disruptive customer was removed from the plane for not following a member’s instructions. crew. Our Customer Relations team has contacted the customer to refund their unused portion,” the airline said, adding that an investigation into the matter was underway. proceed.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
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