Peeing on co-passenger, shouting at crew: 4 mid-air incidents involving Indians

A fight between passengers on a Bangkok to Kolkata flight last month.(Image credit: Screengrab from video tweeted by @YadavMu91727055)

A drunk man urinating on his co-passenger aboard an Air India flight has reignited the debate about travel etiquettes and airlines' response to such incidents. Here is a look at recent instances of travelers misbehaving during journeys:

1) Air India (New York-Delhi flight incident)

A drunk business class passenger urinated on a senior citizen on a flight from New York to Delhi in November. Air India filed a complaint against the passenger only a month after the incident. The passenger, a woman in her 70s, alleged that when she asked for a change of seat after the man urinated on hers, she was told there were none available. After being given a crew seat for some time, she was allegedly told to return to the stinking seat. The passenger said she wanted the man to be arrested but the crew made her talk to him, while she was in a traumatised state. Aviation watchdog DGCA pulled up Air India, describing its conduct as "unprofessional". The offender, identified as Shekhar Mishra from Mumbai, was banned from flying for a month, a punishment many described as inadequate.  Later, the Delhi Police filed an FIR against the man and formed multiple teams to arrest him.

'Air India crew brought offender before me against my wishes': woman passenger on 'peeing' horror

2) Air India (Paris-Delhi flight incident)

A similar incident was reported two days later, this time on an Air India flight from Paris to Delhi. A drunk passenger peed on a woman's blanket. As soon the plane landed, he was detained by Central Industrial Security Force officers. But he was allowed to go after he gave a written apology and a mutual agreement was reached with his co-passenger, news agency PTI reported.

3) Thai Smile brawl 

A fight broke out between two men on a Bangkok to Kolkata flight in December. A video of the incident showed the men arguing, and as the argument escalated, one of them slapped the other. More passengers joined him in beating the man.

The fight reportedly began with one of passengers refusing to straighten his reclining seat.

A police complaint was filed against those involved in the ruckus.

Also read: Fight onboard Thai Smile Bangkok-Kolkata flight started over passenger reclining seat

4) IndiGo incident, Istanbul to Delhi flight

That same month, a video of a heated argument between an IndiGo crew member and a passenger went viral on social media. The crew member lashed out when the traveller said "you are a servant of a passenger".

The argument on an Istanbul to Delhi flight broke out over the subject of meals and resulted in some staff members ending up crying. One of their colleagues spoke up for them.

IndiGo issued a statement, saying it was looking into the incident.

"IndiGo is cognizant of the needs of its customers and it is our constant endeavour to provide a courteous and hassle-free experience to our customers," the airline.

The incident sparked a social media debate about how fliers treated crew members.