An incredible example of empathy and kindness has been set by the cabin crew members of SpiceJet. On a Jeddah-bound flight from Kozhikode, a 72-year-old elderly woman defecated on the aisle multiple times on her way to the lavatory. Her family was unable to provide the necessary assistance to the woman. When the woman entered the lavatory, she didn’t know what to do.
“On one of our SpiceJet flights, SG035 CCJ-JED on April 12, 2024, with a full passenger load, approximately 40 minutes after take-off, we received information regarding an elderly 72-year-old lady passenger who had defecated in the aisle multiple times. The incidents occurred from the 17th to the 21st row, and later from the second-to-last row leading into the lavatory. The lady was accompanied by her family who were unable to offer necessary assistance. The lady stood in the lavatory disoriented, probably unsure of what to do next,” shared Virendra Malhotra, Vice President of Flight Operations of the airline.
Before the condition of the aisle could cause discomfort to the passengers, especially the smell, senior cabin crew Akshay and Sreega stepped up. At first, Akshay went from row to row asking people if they could provide the woman with spare clothes and an adult diaper. Two passengers sitting in 30C and 31F were kind enough to provide the necessary things. These passengers were also kind enough to offer their help to clean the elderly woman who was escorted back to her seat.
“Our Senior Cabin Crew Akshay stepped in and comforted the lady. Since the family was not carrying any spare clothes, Akshay went row by row asking for spare clothes and an adult diaper. He was able to convince one lady passenger in 30C and another in 31F to give their spare clothes and an adult diaper. These passengers even offered and came forth to help clean the elderly lady along with Akshay. After she was cleaned, she was escorted back to her seat.”
Now it came down to cleaning the aisle. Akshay and Sreega, with the help of gloves, antiseptic and sanitizers, were able to clean and cover the aisle. They got down on the floor to clean the mess with whatever they could find at the moment. This incident shows how the cabin crew has such a great sense of humanity – how they realised that this was an elderly woman who had little to no control over her body and this could happen to any elderly person, in public or in private.
“The most challenging moment came later; the floor had to be cleaned of the feces spread all over, stuck to the carpet, and the foul odour that was prevalent in the aft cabin had to be dissipated quickly before it became a discomfort to other passengers. Akshay quickly gathered whatever he had and got down on the floor to clean the mess. It is commendable how he managed to clean and cover the floor with the assistance of another crew member, Ms. Sreega, using disposable gloves, antiseptic, and sanitizer.”
Virendra Malhotra shared this story on LinkedIn. Have a look at his full post here:
Several people lauded the extraordinary dedication, empathy and humanity shown by the cabin crew members on the SpiceJet flight. Here’s how they responded to the incident:
Kudos to Akshay and Sreega for setting a wonderful example!