LondonIn a shocking incident, a terrified pregnant woman has claimed she was pushed and assaulted by a passenger on a British Airways flight, after she believed the passenger had mistakenly thought she had pushed him. Parul Patel, 35, was 11 weeks pregnant when she went on holiday to Amsterdam with her husband.
Patel, a business analyst from Watford, was flying back to London from Amsterdam when the incident occurred on August 19, according to the Daily Mail. She said a passenger pushed her and accused her of trying to cut in front of him. She said he suddenly pushed her aside and told her: “Don’t think I’m not going to punch you in the f***ing face.”
The situation quickly escalated as the man continued to verbally assault her, threaten her and use abusive language. A member of the cabin crew attempted to comfort her, but the experience left the passenger shaken and fearful. “I felt like I had been made to be the bad guy and now I am scared to confront anyone about anything… It was supposed to be a joyful journey but it ended up being a nightmare.”
Patel approached a member of staff who apologised for the man’s behaviour and offered him a complimentary bottle of champagne. “I was in shock, crying so much I could barely speak. I didn’t really understand why he was giving us the bottle. It would make sense if we were talking about bad customer service, but here we were dealing with common assault.”
The police did not take action
Despite reporting the incident to staff, Patel said she felt her concerns were not taken as seriously as she would have liked. She later contacted the airline and was offered a £50 voucher. However, the couple later encountered the same man, who approached her and “cursed at her unborn child”.
She accused the police of taking no action: “They said they didn’t see him do anything except me swearing back at him. I had trouble sleeping for a week after it happened. As a first-time mother pregnant with my second child, I’m now scared to confront anyone.”
British Airways responded to the situation: “We do not tolerate any form of abuse towards our colleagues or customers. A member of our cabin crew team offered assistance to our customer when they were informed of this incident, and the police have been informed.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Police were contacted about an altercation at Heathrow Airport on 19 August. A woman reported that she had been approached by a man inside the airport following a dispute which had started on an incoming flight. Officers attended but the man had left the scene. Officers spoke to the airline concerned, who were unaware of the dispute.”
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