New York-bound female cancer patient offloaded by American Airlines; DGCA seeks report
A female cancer patient identified as Meenakshi Sengupta, was allegedly offloaded from a New York-bound flight of American Airlines at Delhi Airport after she sought assistance from a flight attendant to keep her handbag in the overhead cabin.
- Feb 5, 2023,
- Updated Feb 5, 2023 6:20 PM IST
A recent incident onboard an American Airlines flight from Delhi to New York has yet again brought back attention to the aviation industry.
In this case, a female cancer patient identified as Meenakshi Sengupta was allegedly offloaded from a New York-bound flight of American Airlines at Delhi Airport after she sought assistance from a flight attendant to keep her handbag in the overhead cabin.
The incident was reported on January 30, Monday.
As per news agency ANI, the incident came to light after the woman lodged a complaint against the flight attendant accusing them of refusing to help her put the handbag weighing more than 5 pounds in the overhead cabin. The report also stated that she was unable to do the work because of weak limbs.
In her complaint to the Delhi Police, Sengupta who was a wheelchair passenger said that the ground staff was very supportive and helpful and helped her get into the aircraft and put her handbag on the side of the seat.
However, once inside the flight, Sengupta had a conversation with the air hostess and explained her health condition, who failed to offer any assistance in putting the handbag in the overhead compartment.
Later, when the cabin lights were dimmed and an air hostess approached to put the handbag in the overhead compartment, Sengupta requested help but was declined by the hostess who told her that it was not their job to assist.
Sengupta mentioned that despite "repeatedly" asking for help, the air hostess rudely declined her help and walked away.
Post that, when Sengupta thought of complaining about the incident to other staff members, they were "largely indifferent" and told her that if she is so uncomfortable, she should just de-board the flight, as per Sengupta's account.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken notice of the case and asked American Airlines to provide a report.
"On Jan. 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 failure to follow crew member instructions. Our customer relations team has reached out to the customer to refund the unused portion of their ticket," the airline said. It added that a probe into the matter is underway.
(With ANI inputs)
Also Read: US shoots down Chinese surveillance balloon over Atlantic; China warns of consequences
A recent incident onboard an American Airlines flight from Delhi to New York has yet again brought back attention to the aviation industry.
In this case, a female cancer patient identified as Meenakshi Sengupta was allegedly offloaded from a New York-bound flight of American Airlines at Delhi Airport after she sought assistance from a flight attendant to keep her handbag in the overhead cabin.
The incident was reported on January 30, Monday.
As per news agency ANI, the incident came to light after the woman lodged a complaint against the flight attendant accusing them of refusing to help her put the handbag weighing more than 5 pounds in the overhead cabin. The report also stated that she was unable to do the work because of weak limbs.
In her complaint to the Delhi Police, Sengupta who was a wheelchair passenger said that the ground staff was very supportive and helpful and helped her get into the aircraft and put her handbag on the side of the seat.
However, once inside the flight, Sengupta had a conversation with the air hostess and explained her health condition, who failed to offer any assistance in putting the handbag in the overhead compartment.
Later, when the cabin lights were dimmed and an air hostess approached to put the handbag in the overhead compartment, Sengupta requested help but was declined by the hostess who told her that it was not their job to assist.
Sengupta mentioned that despite "repeatedly" asking for help, the air hostess rudely declined her help and walked away.
Post that, when Sengupta thought of complaining about the incident to other staff members, they were "largely indifferent" and told her that if she is so uncomfortable, she should just de-board the flight, as per Sengupta's account.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken notice of the case and asked American Airlines to provide a report.
"On Jan. 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 failure to follow crew member instructions. Our customer relations team has reached out to the customer to refund the unused portion of their ticket," the airline said. It added that a probe into the matter is underway.
(With ANI inputs)
Also Read: US shoots down Chinese surveillance balloon over Atlantic; China warns of consequences