Monday, August 30, 2010

 

EMIRATES AIRLINES -



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: raman <shreyram@emirates.net.ae>
Date: Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 3:55 PM
Subject: EMIRATES AIRLINES - To: jawad@alumni.washington.edu


Dear Mr.Jawad

 

I came across your email address when I was blogging about racial discrimination on board Emirates Airlines

 

I am attaching below my experience with Emirates Airlines which I would request for addition to your blog

 

Thanks

 

Raman

Dubai

 

 

RACISM ON BOARD EMIRATES FLIGHT EK 516 FROM DUBAI TO DELHI ON 07/08/2010

Dear friends,

The motivation to start this blog arose out of the Racist treatment metted out to my 67 year old widowed mother who travelled from Dubai to Delhi on board Emirates flight EK516 on 07/08/2010. She was manifested as a wheel chair passenger in Business Class with booking reference C3KG56.

She had undergone surgery on both knees 2 years ago and cannot endure long walks such as those in Airports. Therefore and at the time of booking itself, she was manifested as a wheel chair passenger who could not walk long distances. We checked in at about 8:00 AM that morning and she was taken by wheel chair to the Business Lounge and from there to the aircraft.

This flight took off from Dubai airport at the scheduled time of 10:10 AM from Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport. The flight returned to Dubai Airport after being airborne for 40 minutes. When the flilght returned to Dubai, she explained to the crew in Business Class that she cannot walk long distances and needed wheel chair and that she was escorted to the craft by wheel chair when the flight initially took off.

She was refused wheel chair and was made to walk back all the way to the security counter and then to the transit desk. She could not manage. By Gods blessing, a co-passenger who was very highly placed with Airtel in Delhi and travelling with her in Business Class helped her. I am grateful to this person for his kindness and courtesy to an old lady who was treated disgracefully by an Airline which proclaims that it is the worlds best and that it has an award winning crew. SHAME ON EMIRATES CREW THAT THEY CANNOT EVEN TREAT A 67 YEAR OLD WOMAN WITH HUMAN DIGNITY.

She called me on my mobile from the Airport to narrate this behaviour of the crew. I tried contacting Emirates at their call centre who denied stoutly that the flight ever took off and that planes were indeed changed. They maintained that it was a delayed departure and that the plane never took off from the ground at 10:10 AM. 

Eventually the replacement aircraft took off more than 3 hours later and landed at Delhi. My mother again reminded the crew and requested wheel chair. This time she was met with a Racist attitude by the same crew who was actually busy stuffing his private bag with free food and free drinks from the plane.

My mother took objection to his Racist behaviour and gave this crew a piece of her mind and finally they arranged the wheel chair after my mother told him she would not get off the aircraft if wheel chair was not provided.

I lodged complaint with Emirates Customer Affairs in Dubai who admitted that there was a technical defect and that planes were changed but maintained that the original flight never took off at 10:10 AM!

As regards denial of wheel chair they have given a misleading and evasive response. As regards the Racist behaviour of the crew, they have stated that they have informed his manager. No details were provided as to the outcome of my complaint about the behaviour of this crew.

My objective in writing this blog is to request any others who had been on this flight to write to me about their experience so that I can tell Emirates that they cannot keep secret that EK516 on 07/08/2010 was airborne for 40 minutes before being returned to the Airport and that planes were changed, and that they need to apologise to all passengers regardless of Nationality and Skin Colour who were on that flight.

Further if there was anyone on that flight who had problems with wheel chair or crew attitude please write to me at ramsrini2k@yahoo.com so that I can take up their complaint with Emirates.

If this had happened on a British, European, Amercian or any "White Skin" sector, Emirates would have issued a formal apology and compensated passengers. Since this happened on a flight to India and the passengers were by and large "Brown Skinned" Indians, Emirates feel that they can get away with the Racist attitude of their crew. We need to tell them that they cannot and that they need to respect all Nationalities and look beyond Skin colour in their treatment of passengers.

Raman
Dubai
Email : ramsrini2k@yahoo.com, shreyram@eim.ae
Mobile : 0097150 - 5592812

 





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