London: In a shocking incident, a terrified pregnant woman claimed that she was shoved and assaulted by a fellow passenger aboard a British Airways flight, after she believed the passenger wrongly thought she had pushed in front of him. Parul Patel, 35, was 11 weeks pregnant when she went on a vacation in Amsterdam with her husband.
Patel, a business analyst from Watford, was flying back to London from Amsterdam when the incident happened on August 19, according to Daily Mail. She said a male passenger pushed her out of the way and accused her of trying to cut in front of him. She said he suddenly pushed her aside and said, "Don't think I won't punch you in the f***ing face."
The situation quickly escalated as the man continued to verbally assault her - making threats and using abusive language. A member of the cabin crew tried to console her, but the experience left the passenger shaken and fearful. "I felt I was made to be the bad guy and I now feel fearful to confront anyone about anything... It was supposed to be a joyous trip, but it ended in a nightmare."
Patel approached a member of staff who apologised for the man's behaviour and offered a complimentary bottle of champagne. " was already in a state of shock, crying so much I could barely speak. I didn't really understand why she was giving us the bottle? It would make sense if we were talking about bad customer service, but we were dealing with common assault here."
Police failed to take action
Despite reporting the incident to staff, Patel said she felt her concerns were not taken as seriously as she would have liked. She later followed up with the airline and was offered a £50 voucher. However, the couple later encountered the same man again, where he approached her and "cursed her unborn child".
She accused the police of not taking any action, saying, "They said they didn't see him doing anything - except me swearing back at him. I struggled to sleep for a week after it happened. As a new mum and pregnant with my second child, I now feel scared to confront anyone."
Responding to the situation, British Airways said, "We do not tolerate any kind of abuse against our colleagues or customers. A member of our cabin crew team offered assistance to our customer when this incident was brought to their attention, and it has been reported to the police."
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said, "Police were contacted about an altercation at Heathrow Airport on 19 August. A woman reported that she had been approached by a man inside the airport following a dispute that had begun on an inbound flight. Officers attended but the man had left the location. Officers spoke to the relevant airline who had no record of the dispute."
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