SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has apologised to a passenger who claimed he was humiliated after a lavatory door malfunctioned twice during his flight from Singapore to Delhi on Nov 5.
The business-class passenger told Stomp that the incident happened while he was using the rear lavatory.
“While I was using the rear lavatory, two separate people were able to open the locked door due to a malfunction,” he recounted. “This wasn’t just an inconvenience. It was a serious lapse in equipment maintenance and service recovery that led to a highly distressing personal incident.”
He said the problem escalated when the lock failed altogether.
“The lavatory door lock failed completely, causing a severe breach of my privacy,” he said. “Once the casement door was opened, it remained opened until someone closed it. I had to cover myself to make an effort to close it, which was not possible due to the malfunction.
“This has inevitably caused me significant embarrassment, indignity and loss of privacy.”
According to the passenger, the in-flight supervisor acknowledged the faulty door after the incident and “offered a brief apology,” but he felt that the response fell short of what the situation warranted.
“The in-flight supervisor confirmed the door was malfunctioning after the incident and offered a brief apology, but no further action was taken,” he said. “This contributed to my feeling that the issue was taken too lightly.
“I cannot help but question whether my being male influenced the lack of seriousness given to the situation?”
He added, “Experiencing a lack of privacy, especially in a sensitive area like a lavatory, and having the door opened on me twice due to a malfunction is completely unacceptable.
“My feelings of embarrassment and disappointment are entirely valid.”
Revealing that the incident took place before take-off and that the lavatory was kept locked for the rest of the flight, and SIA spokesperson told Stomp:
“SIA sincerely apologises to our customer for the distress caused by a defective lavatory door on board SQ406 from Singapore to Delhi on Nov 5.
“When the customer informed SIA’s cabin crew about the malfunctioning door, they apologised to the customer, locked the lavatory, and marked it as unserviceable for the remainder of the flight to ensure that no other customers could use it.
“The lavatory door was fixed in Delhi and subsequently checked to ensure that it is in proper working condition. SIA has contacted the customer directly to provide further assistance.”
