Tales of ‘unruly’ passengers whip up turbulence
B.C.’s South Asian community buzzing over reports of lewd behaviour on direct Vancouver-to-Delhi flights
South Asians in B.C. are buzzing about complaints of harassment, drunkenness and lewd behaviour on a regular direct flight from Vancouver to India.
Indian media outlets, callers to Punjabi-language talk shows, social media commentators and airline passengers are reporting some older men are swearing and behaving boorishly toward flight attendants on the 13-hour flight to Delhi.
The males’ behaviour is described as “lewd,” “brusque,” “horseplay” and “discourteous” by the Punjabi-language news outlet, Fateh Media, which is based in the Punjab region of India, the ancestral home of Canada’s almost 500,000 Sikhs, more than half of whom live in B.C.
Fateh Media’s report uses the Punjabi word that means “inappropriate touching” or “intentionally touching with a sexual overtone” to describe the men’s behaviour towards flight attendants. The word is often used to describe “grabbing” and “groping.”
Some passengers on the Air Canada flight have talked about the males’ rowdy inflight behaviour on the popular radio talk show of Surrey’s Harjinder Thind, who broadcasts at Red FM 93.1.
“It’s the longest flight to India. So some people are drinking too much beer and getting unruly, bothering the hostesses,” Thind said in an interview.
“The flight attendants are saying they dread going on the flights,” Thind said, adding that some Surrey-based Air Canada attendants are declining offers to go public about it on his show, fearing for their jobs.
Air Canada media relations officer Angela Mah said the company has not received reports of harassment on its direct flights to Delhi from Vancouver and Toronto.
“Our crews are professionals who are well trained to handle any situation which may occur on board our flights . ... We have zero tolerance for sexual harassment and harassment of any sort or disruptions on board,” Mah said.
Representatives of the union for Air Canada employees in B.C. did not return messages.
Thind and online news service Fateh Media said how some passengers on the long flight, which runs several times a week, were wetting their seats.
“They’re urinating after getting lots of beers,” Thind said.
It’s a small group of older men who are causing the difficulties for flight attendants and other passengers, Thind said.
Barj Dhahan, a prominent Vancouver businessman and philanthropist, said he sometimes witnesses “unruly” behaviour by small numbers of men on his frequent flights to India on various airlines.
“Alcohol is a contributing factor. Female passengers travelling without accompanying males do not want to sit near groups of male passengers who are drinking and behaving like this,” said Dhahan.
Air Canada’s direct 13-hour flight to Delhi, on a 787 Boeing Dreamliner that seats at least 240 passengers, is proving highly popular, compared to much-longer flights to India that require transfers in Europe.
Since nine of 10 of the Delhi flight’s passengers are Punjabis, Thind said many among B.C.’s population of more than 250,000 South Asians do not want it cancelled.
Air Canada’s Mah responded that “there are no plans to make any changes to this route. It has been well-received and we look forward to continuing to serve and grow this important market from both Vancouver and Toronto.”
While the Fateh news site is describing some of the men’s behaviour as “groping,” Thind said some callers are saying it’s more like inappropriate touching of flight attendants.
“When Punjabi men call for service in their household they don’t touch the woman’s arm. But that’s what the men are doing to the attendants on the flight. They’re foolishly calling the attendants again and again,” Thind said.
“It’s embarrassing for everybody,” he said.