Pregnant woman claims British Airways offered champagne ‘as apology’

Parul Patel, 35, was 11 weeks pregnant when the incident occurred

• Pramod Thomas
• 22 September, 2024

Follow Us

By: Pramod Thomas

A pregnant woman has said that she was assaulted by a fellow passenger on a British Airways flight and claimed the airline responded by offering her a bottle of champagne as an apology.

Parul Patel, 35, was 11 weeks pregnant when the incident occurred during her return flight from Amsterdam to Heathrow on 19 August. While waiting to get off the plane, she says a man pushed her, accusing her of cutting in line, and threatened to punch her in the face.

Shaken by the encounter, Parul reported the altercation to the cabin crew, but she was left frustrated by the airline’s response, feeling her concerns were not taken seriously.

“I actually felt like this man was going to hurt me. I felt I was made to be the bad guy and I now feel fearful to confront anyone about anything,” she was quoted as saying.

Patel, a business analyst from Watford, Hertfordshire, had been on a short holiday with her partner, Dhiren Raghvani, when the incident happened.

Instead of feeling supported after the threatening exchange, she was handed a bottle of champagne, which she described as an inappropriate gesture given the severity of the situation.

“I was in shock,” she said. “The whole experience left me fearful. I asked for security assistance, but instead, I was handed a bottle of champagne, which didn’t make any sense for what I’d gone through.”

Following the incident, Patel’s distress only worsened when she encountered the same man in the arrivals hall, where he continued to insult her and her unborn child.

According to reports, her attempts to seek justice were hindered when police said they couldn’t take action, as there was no substantial evidence against the man.

The Asian woman expressed her disappointment with the lack of support from both the airline and authorities, stating that the whole ordeal left her feeling vulnerable and questioning her safety.

“I struggled to sleep for a week after it happened. As a new mum and pregnant with my second child, I now feel scared to confront anyone. It’s made me question my safety, especially as we hear so much about violence against women. It was so demoralising. I felt like I was made out to be the bad guy, when in reality, I was the one being threatened and assaulted,” she said.

British Airways has since responded, saying they do not tolerate abuse against customers or staff, and confirmed that the matter had been reported to the police. However, when she followed up, the airline offered her a £50 voucher.

British Airways said: “We do not tolerate any kind of abuse against our colleagues or customers. A member of our cabin crew team offered assistance to our customer when this incident was brought to their attention, and it has been reported to the police.”

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the altercation was reported but found no evidence to support the woman’s claims after speaking with witnesses.