For Indian passengers, travelling on domestic airlines has been a series of unfortunate events. There have been unprecedented delays and brawls, flyers have been stranded for hours at airports and on aerobridges, and whatnot. Now the latest drama has unfolded on a SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru, where a traveller spent the complete journey in the plane toilet.
What went wrong?
From Mumbai to Bengaluru on a toilet seat
A man boarded the flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru, hoping for it to be a regular journey. He left his seat to use the washroom as soon as the aeroplane took off. And it is where he spent the rest of his time until he reached his destination.
The lock to the washroom reportedly malfunctioned and the passenger was stranded in the cramped toilet for more than an hour. When he tried to unlock the door, he found that the lock was stuck.
The crew was aware that the passenger had gone to the washroom. He panicked and called for help. The airline staff tried to open the door and rescue him but failed.
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A note from the airline crew
The flyer was shocked because of the confinement. To ensure that he did not panic, one of the air hostesses wrote a note on a piece of paper and slipped it under the toilet door.
“Sir, we tried our best to open the door. However, we could not open. Do not panic, we are landing in a few minutes. So please close the commode lid and sit on it and secure yourself,” read the now viral note, which has been circulating on social media, reports NDTV.
“As soon as the main door is open, engineer will come. Do not panic,” it added.
The rescue
For more than an hour, the man was stuck inside the washroom, sitting on the toilet seat. He was rescued only after the plane landed in Bengaluru.
As soon as the flight landed at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), engineers broke open the lavatory door and got him out, according to a report in The Times of India.
The flight landed in Bengaluru at 3.42 am after which engineers came on board and broke open the door. The man was rescued after the ordeal and rushed to first aid.
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An official at the Bengaluru airport empathised with the “poor man”. The passenger was left “traumatised due to claustrophobia,” said the official, according to News18.
It must have been a nightmare for the traveller. The flight was already delayed by three hours. Scheduled to take off at 10:55 pm from Mumbai on Monday, it departed at 2 am on Tuesday.
SpiceJet’s apology
SpiceJet has apologised for the inconvenience caused to the passenger and has promised to refund the complete airfare.
“On 16 January, a passenger, unfortunately, got stuck inside the lavatory for about an hour on SpiceJet flight operating from Mumbai to Bengaluru, while the aircraft was airborne due to a malfunction in the door lock,” a statement from the airlines said.
“Throughout the journey, our crew provided assistance and guidance to the passenger. Upon arrival, an engineer opened the lavatory door, and the passenger received immediate medical support,” it added.
Air travel chaos in India
Hundreds of flights have been delayed in the country since Sunday. Thick fog in Delhi has hit operations at one of India’s busiest airports and the effect has been cascading.
Around 53 flights were cancelled and 120 were delayed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport because of fog, affecting domestic and international travel on Wednesday.
“A total of 53 flights including 21 domestic arrivals, 16 domestic departures, 13 international departures and three international arrivals scheduled are cancelled and not operating because of fog and other operational reasons from and to Delhi,” news agency ANI reported quoting Delhi Airport Flight Information Display System.
The dense fog is expected to continue for two to four more days with no respite from the cold wave, said the India Meteorological Department.
While the weather-related chaos cannot be controlled, passengers complain that airlines and airports have been inadequate in communicating delays.
The aviation ministry has stepped in, announcing an action plan amid growing anger over the flight mess.
With inputs from agencies
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Why a SpiceJet passenger flew from Mumbai to Bengaluru on a toilet seat
