Experiencing a unique and unfortunate incident, a SpiceJet passenger found himself trapped in the airplane’s lavatory for almost the entirety of a flight. The incident, which the budget airline described as an “involuntary downgrade,” occurred on a night flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru, lasting one hour and 45 minutes, as reported by the Indian Express.
The passenger, whose identity remains undisclosed, entered the lavatory shortly after takeoff. However, upon completing his business, he discovered that the lavatory door wouldn’t open due to a malfunction in the lock, leaving him stuck inside. Despite the crew and other passengers’ efforts to release him, they were unsuccessful, resulting in the passenger spending nearly the whole flight confined to the airplane bathroom.
In an effort to reassure and communicate with the trapped passenger, the crew slid a note under the lavatory door, reminiscent of FBI negotiator tactics. The note stated, “Sir we tried our best to open the door, however, we could not. Do not panic. We are landing in a few minutes, so please close the commode lid and sit on it and secure yourself. As soon as the main door is open, an engineer will come.”
The passenger’s ordeal came to an end upon landing, when two engineers boarded the aircraft and successfully opened the lavatory door, providing him with “immediate medical support.”
In response to this unusual situation, SpiceJet extended an apology for the inconvenience caused and offered the passenger a full refund. The airline confirmed, “SpiceJet regrets and apologizes for the inconvenience caused to the passenger,” and added, “The passenger is being provided a full refund.”
