Mumbai, May 29
A fortnight after over 50 Indian passengers alleged they were victims of racial profiling while flying Air France, ten Indians, travelling by the same airline, met a similar fate when they were stranded for an entire night in a Paris airport lounge.
The Indians, flying to Mumbai from Washington via Paris, complained that they were confined to the lounge on Monday with just some water and a sandwich after their plane reached Paris late from Washington and they could not board the connecting flight to Mumbai.
The passengers of the flight AF025 alleged that while they
had to remain at the airport, people with American passports were
given transit visas, provided accommodation and taken care of.
Complaining of discrimination and insensitivity towards them, a
passenger Gwyneth Alphonso said, "We were not put on the immediate
connecting flight on the same day. We were told that we have to
just adjust within the environment. (Those) who held American
passports were given visas and accommodation and were taken care of. But
we, who had Indian passports, were the only ones to be denied any kind
of help at that place".
The passengers said the airline extended an apology to the passengers
through an SMS.
Over 50 Indian passengers had on May 12 a accused Aair France of
racial profiling at Paris airport where they were stuck while in transit
after their aircraft developed a technical problem, a charge denied by
the airline.
The passengers said their plane had left Washington three hours
behind schedule due to a technical problem and that they had barely 20
minutes in hand after arrival in Paris to take their connecting flight
to Mumbai. They said they just could not make it to the
connecting flight.
