News Desk TTP
A Reddit user has accused the crew of a Lufthansa flight of discriminating against Indian passengers, especially the elderly and those who could not speak English well. His post, detailing several incidents of alleged racism and rudeness by the German airline’s staff, has gone viral on the platform and sparked outrage among netizens, including Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
The Reddit user, who identified himself as a New York resident who frequently visits his family in India, said that he had flown regularly on Air India and Emirates, but this was the first time that he boarded a Lufthansa flight. He said that he witnessed the crew members insulting and belittling the passengers on his recent US-India flight, as well as on the ground in Frankfurt.
He shared some examples of the offensive behavior he observed, such as:
- A flight attendant “almost yelled” at an elderly woman who pointed to the tea on the beverage cart and said “Yes”, and told her to “open your mouth and use your words”.
- A crew member went on a rant near him, talking to a customer about why they were ordering food if they were not going to eat it, after Lufthansa mishandled the catering order and delivered vegan meals to those who asked for vegetarian meals.
- A woman who ordered a vegetarian meal was given chicken instead, and was told that since the food box had already been opened, it could not be replaced. A crew member allegedly said, “You don’t go to a restaurant, eat the food, and ask for it to be taken back.”
- An airline representative in Frankfurt rudely replied to him when he asked where he could fill his water bottle, saying “Do I look like the information desk to you, don’t ask me”.
The Reddit user said that he could not imagine Lufthansa Airlines crew treating American or European customers this way, and that he felt “disgusted and angry” by their behavior. He also said that he had filed a complaint with Lufthansa, but had not received any response.
His post, which has received over 2,000 comments and 10,000 upvotes, has drawn the attention of many internet users, who have expressed their shock and anger at the alleged discrimination. Some have also shared their own experiences of flying with Lufthansa, and corroborated the claims of the Reddit user.
Among them was Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma, who tweeted that he had also faced similar issues with Lufthansa crew, and that he had stopped flying with them. He also urged others to avoid travelling with the airline, and to choose other options.
“I have faced similar issues with Lufthansa crew. Stopped flying with them long back. Avoid travelling with them. There are better airlines out there,” he wrote1.
Lufthansa, which is one of the largest airlines in Europe, has not issued any official statement on the matter yet. The airline has been operating flights between India and Germany under the air bubble arrangement since July 2020, after the suspension of international flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
