Air India cabin crew leaves flyer with second-degree burns and airline in hot water

An Air India passenger, Charu Tomar, who was on the Delhi-San Francisco flight on September 20, suffered second-degree burns when the flight attendant spilled hot water on her legs. Tomar took to social media to raise the issue and accused the airline for not taking necessary measures to address her injury. 

What happened

• Tomar was travelling with her mother-in-law and her son onboard Flight AI173, which departed New Delhi for San Francisco on September 20.
• The flight attendant spilled hot water on Tomar.
• Then, Tomar alleged, that the crew members initially ran away from the scene. 
• The flight attendant's lack of training and professionalism added to her harrowing experience, Tomar said in a thread posted on X.
• She added that the cabin crew removed her shoes and socks without checking if it would cause her further harm.

My flight with @airindia was an absolute disaster, marked by poor service, neglect, and a complete absence of professionalism and empathy. I urge the airline to take immediate steps to rectify these issues and provide better care and services to its passengers in the future. pic.twitter.com/BYMv0fKqDI

— Charu Tomar (@CharuTomar_19) September 27, 2023

• A physician onboard offered assistance, Tomar said, "She diagnosed my injury as a second-degree burn and attempted to provide care. However the flight lacked essential medical supplies, and the treatment was far from ideal I endured severe pain for nearly two hours in flight with no pain medication or proper first aid kit available."

What Air India said

Air India replied to Charu Tomar's tweets on X and apologised for the incident. 

• Air India 'expressed regret' over the incident. While the passenger claimed that hot water was spilled on her, the airline said that the flight attendant had accidentally spilled coffee on her leg.
• The airline also claimed that first aid was "immediately administered" to the passenger. 
• An Air India spokesperson said that the crew "paged for a doctor on board, who attended to the affected guest" and that "a team of paramedics assisted the guest upon arrival at San Francisco". 
• The spokesperson further added, "We have expressed our sincere apologies to the guest, whom our teams have been in touch with to offer all further assistance, including medical care. We have taken serious note of the incident, and will ensure to retrain the crew member on our standard procedures to avoid such an incident in the future."