American Airlines Offloads Woman Cancer Patient In Delhi For Failing To Stow Bag In Overhead Bin, DGCA Seeks Report

The victim said that she "repeatedly" asked her for help, but she rudely declined and told her to do it on her own before leaving.

New Delhi: After requesting assistance from a flight attendant to keep her handbag in the overhead compartment, a female cancer patient who had recently had surgery is said to have been dropped off at the Delhi airport from an American Airlines flight that was headed to New York, reported news agency ANI. Meenakshi Sengupta, a traveler from the United States, filed a complaint on January 30 against the flight attendant, claiming that they refused to assist her in placing the handbag that weighed more than 5 pounds in the overhead cabin because she was unable to do so due to weak limbs.

"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," Meenakshi Sengupta stated in her complaint to the Delhi Police and the Civil Air quoted by ANI.

She said, "The ground staff was very supportive and helped me get into the aircraft and put my handbag on the side of the seat. Once inside the flight, I had a conversation with the air hostess and I explained my health condition to them...None of them mentioned about putting my handbag away. After the flight was about to take off, cabin lights were dimmed. At that time an air hostess came to put my hand bag 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."

Sengupta went on to say that she "repeatedly" asked her for help, but she rudely declined and told her to do it on her own before leaving.

"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.

The incident also went viral on social media, prompting individuals to call on the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to investigate.

"Disgusting behavior from @AmericanAir staff towards a #cancerpatient - Meenakshi Sengupta who was de-boarded from the flight for not putting her handbag up because cancer has made her arms weak and the crew won't help. Shameful @DCWDelhi @SwatiJaiHind kindly note @Pib_MoCA," a Twitter user said.

American Airlines has been requested to submit its report by India's regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

According to the airline's official statement, the Customer Relations department has contacted Sengupta to request a refund for the portion of her ticket that was not used.

"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.