In a shocking revelation, the elderly woman, in a complaint to 'Grievance Air Sewa', narrated how the pilot of the Air India flight vetoed giving her a seat in first class after a drunk man peed on her on the New York-Delhi flight. The lady further stated that she "wanted him arrested...offender brought before me against my wish", on being asked why she compromised with the accused without raising a formal complaint to the police. The woman passenger, who had "traumatic experience" during an Air India flight from New York to Delhi on November 26 last year shared here ordeal in a detailed statement to the 'Grievance Air Sewa'.


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As per the victim, she wanted the man arrested but the "crew brought the offender" before her against her wishes and he profusely apologised so that no complaint is filed against him. In her complaint to 'Grievance Air Sewa', the woman narrated the entire incident in detail and said the man "unzipped his pants and urinated on me and kept standing there until the person sitting next to me tapped him and told him to go back to his seat".


Unprofessional crew behaviour


The passenger alleged that the Air India crew was "deeply unprofessional" and was "not proactive in managing a very sensitive and traumatic situation". She further stated "I would like to submit a complaint about my appalling experience travelling with on Air India Business Class Flight AI102, Seat 9A, from JFK to New Delhi on 26 November 2022.


The victim alleged that after the landing the ground staff never came to assist her and take down her complaint. "The Air India flight staff assured me that I would be taken on a wheel chair to the baggage carousel and seen through a comfortable exit from the airport. On landing, I was put on a wheel chair and taken to the terminal and unloaded there to wait for the next wheel chair. The ground staff never came to assist me and take down my complaint.


I waited for 30 minutes. I was so exhausted and shaken that I simply got up and walked to the immigration and collected my baggage. I met the flight staff again near the exit as I was taking my luggage on a trolley. When I told the flight staff that no one had assisted me on the ground, they called for a wheel chair to wheel me to the entrance, which was barely a few feet away by this time," she said.


What happened?


Sharing the details, she stated, during the course of the flight, shortly after lunch was served and the lights were switched off, a male business class passenger seated in 8A walked to my seat, completely inebriated. He unzipped his pants and urinated on me and kept standing there until the person sitting next to me tapped him and told him to go back to his seat, at which point he staggered back to his seat.


I immediately got up to notify the stewardess of what had happened. My clothes, shoes and bag were soaked in urine," she said. The woman alleged that the Air India crew members did not provide her with another seat.


"The bag contained my passport, travel documents and currency. The flight staff refused to touch them, sprayed my bag and shoes with disinfectant, and took me to the bathroom and gave me a set of airline pyjamas and socks. I asked the staff for a change of seat but was told that no other seats were available.


However, another business class passenger who had witnessed my plight and was advocating for me pointed out that there were seats available in first class. The flight crew told me that the pilot had vetoed giving me a seat in first class. After I had been standing for 20 minutes, one of the senior flight staff offered me the small crew seat used by the airline staff, where I sat for about 2 hours. I was then asked to return to the initial soiled seat.


Although the staff had spread sheets on the seat, the area was still damp and reeking of urine and I refused to sit there. I was then given the steward seat for the rest of the journey," she further said in her compliant.


No formal complaint


The elderly woman said that she had informed the senior flight staff that she wanted the man arrested immediately by the airport police. "In the meantime, one of the senior flight staff came to me and asked me how I wanted to handle the situation. I told them that I wanted the man arrested immediately by the airport police. They asked me if I would like talk to the ground staff and I told them that I most certainly would.


The flight staff were in the meanwhile also having discussions with the offender, who was sobering up by this time, and they came and told me that he wanted to apologize to me. I stated clearly that I did not want to interact with him or see his face, and that all I wanted was for him to be arrested on arrival. However, the crew brought the offender before me against my wishes, and we were made to sit opposite each other in the crew seats," she said.


"I was stunned when he started crying and profusely apologizing to me, begging me not to lodge a complaint against him because he is a family man and did not want his wife and child to be affected by this incident. In my already distraught state, I was further disoriented by being made to confront and negotiate with the perpetrator of the horrific incident in close quarters. I told him that his actions were inexcusable, but in the face of his pleading and begging in front of me, and my own shock and trauma, I found it difficult to insist on his arrest or to press charges against him," she added.


No refund issued


The woman said her son-in-law sent a complaint to Air India on November 27 and they agreed to reimburse the ticket. "To date, they have issued only a partial refund. However, this is hardly sufficient compensation for my traumatic experience. I also personally emailed a complaint directly to Air India on November 27, 2022, fully expecting them to call me for further investigation of the situation in order to take proper action and initiate appropriate grievance settlement. However, they have not yet," she said.


"It is a shame when a national airline fails to protect the safety and dignity of their customers, especially senior citizens. Clearly, this has to be addressed by the people at the highest level," she added.


Action initiated


Meanwhile, taking serious note of the Air India urination incident, the Ministry of Civil Aviation directed the airline to conduct an internal probe into the matter and submit the report as soon as possible, said top government sources on Thursday. Additionally, Delhi Police said that the man who allegedly urinated on an elderly woman co-passenger onboard an Air India flight was a resident of Mumbai and will be arrested at the earliest.


Identity revealed


"The accused is a resident of Mumbai, but his possible location is in some other state and the police team has reached there. We will arrest the accused at the earliest," said Delhi Police. The Police on Wednesday filed an FIR on the shocking incident based on a complaint by Air India. The police have registered an FIR in the matter under sections 354, 509, and 510 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 23 of the Indian Aircraft Act.


With ANI inputs