'Ladies ho, andar baith jao': Emirates passenger threatens woman over aisle seat

The incident happened on an Emirates flight. (Representational)

Recent incidents of unruly, rude passengers of flights have taken over social media after the Air India peegate scandal of November 26 last year when a drunk, top financial executive urinated on an elderly woman in the business class came to light and caused an outrage.

Two more peegate incidents followed, with one man urinating on a woman’s blanket, while just this morning, another urinated at the departure gate of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport in front of other passengers and allegedly also abused them.

On Twitter, a woman shared an unpleasant experience she faced on an Emirates flight when a man reportedly kept forcing her to take the middle seat, throwing casual sexism in the mix, even though she had paid for an aisle seat.

Upasana Sharma, an associate at an advisory firm, recalled in a series of tweets how her co-passenger misbehaved with her.

“A man asked me to sit in the middle seat, though I had booked and paid for an aisle seat. When I said no, he said “aap ladies ho, aap andar baith jao”. Translating to because you are a woman you should sit inside. When I continued to refuse, he said “once I am drunk, then don’t blame me if I am on the middle seat”,” Sharma recalled.

She continued: “While the crew didn’t understand, Everyone around me told them what he was saying. The @emirates staff first tried to tell me to keep sitting there, and when I loudly refused, they asked me to move right in front of the man who said “Don’t hold me accountable for my actions once I am drunk.” All because I wanted. To sit in my own seat that I had PAID for. That is the entitlement of Indian men. On @emirates end they told me they have filed a report and will be in touch, but I never heard from them. I also told them I want to file a formal report, and was told they will be in touch.”

She recounted how after all the drama she was given another seat while her co-passenger was still served drinks.

Read the full thread below on Twitter:

With the whole #airindia case coming to light, I cannot truly explain how tired I am of entitled Indian men on flights. On my @emirates flight from Dubai to Delhi, a man asked me to sit in the middle seat, though I had booked and paid for an aisle seat. When I said no, he..contd

Story continues below Advertisement

Remove Ad

— Upasana (@UpasanaSharma95) January 7, 2023