Cabin crew slide note under plane toilet door after man gets stuck inside

18 January 2024 , 17:15

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SpiceJet has apologised to the traumatised passenger after his ordeal (Image: AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

Cabin crew were forced to slide a desperate note under a plane toilet door after a passenger became stuck inside for a whole hour.

The man visited the loo at the first available opportunity after the Boeing 737-800 took off around 2am on Tuesday. Afterward using the facilities, he tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. He immediately alerted the cabin crew to his plight by pressing the toilet call button.

The flight attendants tried to gain entry from the outside, but their efforts were in vain. One of the crew then scribbled a note on a piece of paper and passed it through a gap in the door. It read: “Sir, we tried our best to open the door, however, we could not open. 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. Do not panic.”

The SpiceJet Flight 268 from Mumbai, India, touched down at its destination, Bengaluru, at about 3:42am. An engineer then immediately boarded the aircraft and managed to prise open the toilet door to the relief of the passenger.

The airline apologised to the traumatised passenger and promised him a full refund on his ticket. It said in a statement: “On 16 January, a passenger, unfortunately, got stuck inside the lavatory for about an hour on SpiceJet flight operating from Mumbai to Bengaluru, while the aircraft was airborne due to a malfunction in the door lock. Throughout the journey, our crew provided assistance and guidance to the passenger. Upon arrival, an engineer opened the lavatory door, and the passenger received immediate medical support.”

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A member of the crew wrote a note on a piece of paper and passed it through a gap in the toilet door (Jam Press)

The traveller has since been promised a full refund after his ordeal which lasted one hour and 40 minutes. The airline's statement added: “SpiceJet regrets and apologies for the inconvenience caused to the passenger. The passenger is being provided a full refund.”

In August last year, another airline passenger travelling with the carrier was shocked to find herself more than 1,000 miles from her planned destination when she got off the plane. Wasifa Jan had been booked on a flight from the Indian capital New Delhi to Srinagar with SpiceJet. All seemed to be going well until she disembarked and found herself in the western city of Pune, which is just under 100 miles from the city of Mumbai.

Ms Jan was flown back to New Delhi and then travelled to her intended destination. The passenger’s travel agent shared the story on Twitter, now 'X', dubbing the incident “very unfortunate”.

Graeme Murray