IndiGo passenger accuses co-pilot of barging into toilet, airline reacts

A Mumbai-based entrepreneur, Rhea Chaterji, accused an Indigo co-pilot of barging into the aircraft's lavatory while she was inside, on one of her trips with the airline. This incident happened on August 8, she claimed.

She also alleged that the crew members tried to downplay the entire incident and told her to meet the pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit. Later, when Rhea posted about this matter on the LinkedIn social media platform, the airline apologised to her.

Meanwhile, this post has created a furore on the social media platform and gone viral.

What the LinkedIn post said

On August 18, 10 days after the incident took place, Chaterji had penned details of what happened on the IndiGo flight in a post on LinkedIn. According to her post, she was using the forward lavatory (the toilet located near the aircraft's cockpit) before takeoff.

"I locked the door and once seated, heard a knock, which I replied to. Shortly after, there was another knock, which I replied to more loudly. Before I’d even fully spoken, the door was forcibly opened, and a male crew member was gazing directly at me while I was in a vulnerable state. He simply said “oh” and shut the door," her post read.

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She further noted down that the "female flight attendants then tried to downplay the incident by saying, they were sorry for the inconvenience" and were sure "he hadn't seen anything." Recounting the incident, Chaterji said in her post that she had to endure the "revulsion" she felt during the 90-minute flight time.

No empathy

As per her post, no empathy was shown to her by the crew members, and Chaterji's request to not engage with her in the remaining travel time was also not taken into consideration. Rather than taking accountability for the incident, she was asked to meet the pilot and the co-pilot in the cockpit.

"Every woman reading this will certainly understand why the thought of that caused even greater anxiety for me," she noted, since the co-pilot was the one who had seen her in a vulnerable state.

Though she sent an email explaining the incident to the Indigo leadership, including their CEO, no regret was conveyed directly to her.

"Sadly, IndiGo’s idea of making this right was a few calls repeating this was an inconvenience and an email paying lip service full of corporate jargon, and saying that the individual conveyed profound remorse," she noted.

IndiGo's response

IndiGo responded to her post and apologised to Chaterji.

"We assure you that the crew has been counselled and sensitised, and in cognisance of this matter, we are reinforcing training to ensure such incidents are never repeated. We remain available should you wish for any further redressal and are fully committed to restoring your trust in us," Indigo responded to her post in the comment section.

Also read: Pai flays IndiGo for ‘poor’ passenger treatment; airline explains AC issue

LinkedIn users responded to her post as well. Many users called out IndiGo and sought stringent actions against the crew members and strict regulations to ensure the safety of women and children.