American Airlines offloaded cancer a patient: Amid a series of controversies related to airline mismanagement, the inhumane behaviour of cabin crews of a New York-bound flight, American Airlines, has shattered the yearning of humankind. In the latest row, a female cancer patient was reportedly offloaded in Delhi by the cabin crew members as the sick passenger asked the airline staff to put her handbag in an overhead cabin.
According to a report by the news agency ANI, the incident happened on January 30, when a cancer patient, Meenakshi Sengupta, asked cabin crews to assist her in putting her bag in an overhead cabin, amid the fact that her limbs were weak due to surgery. Shockingly, the crew allegedly told the passenger that it was not their job to put her stuff in the overhead cabin.
Flight attendant refused to assist the cancer patient
The matter came to light after the United States-based traveller 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.
"I was also wearing a brace which was visible to everyone and they would know that I have some discomfort...because I cannot carry any weight in my hands at all, and, I'm weak from the surgery and don't need to strain myself by walking a lot," Sengupta said in her complaint to the Delhi Police and the Civil Air. Further, the passenger claimed that she had also requested wheelchair assistance to her seat.
"It's not my job"
According to her, the ground staff was very supportive and helped her get into the aircraft and put my handbag on the side of the seat. "I had a conversation with the air hostess and I explained my health condition to them. None of them mentioned putting my handbag away. After the flight was about to take off, an air hostess came to put my handbag in the overhead compartment. I requested her to help me put it but she refused to do so and told me it's not her job to do it," she added in her complaint.
Furthermore, Sengupta alleged that she "repeatedly" asked her to assist but the latter rudely declined her request and asked her to do it on her own and walked away. "She was extremely rude and arrogant with her words," Sengupta alleged, adding when she went to complain about the incident the aircraft members were "largely indifferent" and told her that they did not want to interfere at all, she alleged. "They said that if I'm so uncomfortable I should just de-board the flight. They were collective in their decision to deboard me," Sengupta said.
Airline called the passenger "unruly"
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken cognisance of the case and asked American Airlines to submit its report. The airline in a statement said that it had reached the concerned customer and she had already got a partial refund. The airline termed the passenger "unruly" and claimed that she was offloaded due to her activities. "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, adding that a probe into the matter is underway.
