Flight of horror: Infamous Indian pee-gate

Indian Americans puzzled, worried about urinating scandals in the air

The Chauhans, a young 30-something couple in Seattle are worried and anxious about their elderly mother’s travel to the US next month.

Their mom who will be traveling to America all by herself for the first time has been closely watching the news of yet another urinating scandal on the flight from the US by an Indian.

Read: Air India bans peeing row accused for four months (January 19, 2023)

“This is utterly unbelievable and unacceptable. We have elderly traveling this route very frequently to visit their children in the US, if this rowdy behavior is not controlled, we will have to think about some other airlines or routes for our parents,” says Anusha Chauhan, a marketing executive.

On Sunday, yet another incident of a passenger urinating on a co-passenger came to light. A passenger onboard an American Airlines flight from New York to New Delhi was taken into custody when the flight landed in India.

“American Airlines flight 292 with service from John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) was met by local law enforcement upon arrival in DEL due to a disruption on board,” the Airline stated.

“We’re grateful to our crew members who are consistently dedicated to the safety and care of our customers and handle the circumstances with the utmost professionalism.”

Reportedly an argument between two passengers led to one of them urinating on the other while in an inebriated state.

Read: Air India Peegate: Wells Fargo sacks offender (January 6, 2023)

This is the fourth incident of an Indian or an Indian American urinating on a fellow passenger and second such case on an American Airlines flight. The earlier incident occurred on an Air India flight.

What has really puzzled the community is the alarming frequency with which one is getting to hear about such cases.

“This is totally out of character for Indian immigrants in the US, who for a long time earned the reputation of being educated, civil and law-abiding residents,” Ravi Nair, a tech professional in New York told the American Bazaar.

“It’s either the case of Indians getting too puffed-up with their success as a community in the US or a few rotten apples maligning the reputation of all of us.”

Read: ‘Unprofessional’: Aviation regulator slams Air India for urination incident (January 5, 2023)

Shivani Shah, a homemaker from Milpitas says, “Absolutely disgusting. Why can’t all airlines come together and bar these culprits from flying for 10 years or so. If strict measures are not taken, we will be too scared to fly ourselves. Forget sending our kids or parents on a flight.”

Some Indians also say that they are thinking of starting a campaign to urge India’s minister for civil aviation to ask the airlines to stop serving alcohol on long haul flights.

Read: Air India Urinegate: Furious desis share travel horrors (January 5, 2023)

Read: Air India gets regulator notice over urination incident (January 5, 2023)