SpiceJet passenger gets stuck in lavatory mid-air, airline apologises

For almost an hour, a SpiceJet passenger was stuck inside an aircraft lavatory mid-air, a cabin crew slipped in a note saying "do not panic" and finally the passenger came out after an engineer opened the door on landing at the Bengaluru airport.

Malfunctioning of the lavatory door led to the passenger getting stuck onboard the flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru on Tuesday. The flight was operated with a Boeing 737-8 aircraft.

SpiceJet apologised for the inconvenience caused to the passenger and will also provide a full refund.

As the passenger kept waiting in the lavatory, a cabin crew slipped in a note asking the passenger not to panic and that despite trying their best, the door could not be opened.

"Do not panic, we are landing in few mins, so please close the comode lid and sit on it and secure urself as soon as the main door is open, engineer will come. Do not panic," the handwritten note widely shared on social media said.

An official said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is looking into the incident.

"On January 16, 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," a SpiceJet spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

The spokesperson also said the passenger is being provided a full refund.

An aircraft engineer with a leading domestic carrier said planes also have an emergency redressal system that can be used in case the lavatory door gets jammed.

If the crew failed to unlock the door using the system from outside, then it is a serious issue, the engineer said on the condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, there have been complaints from passengers about not getting ticket refunds for flights that were cancelled in December.

When asked about the complaints, the SpiceJet spokesperson said all refunds against flights cancelled in December 2023 or before that have been processed by the airline.

"It is imperative to note that refund processing is directed to the source of the booking. For passengers booking through travel agents or portals, the refunds are processed to the respective travel agent," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Some passengers have taken to social media flagging about the delay in getting the refunds from SpiceJet.

In a recent post on X, designer Shivi Pal said she was yet to get the refund for the ticket booked on SpiceJet flight from Varanasi that was cancelled on December 27, 2023.

"Wishing you all an Unhappy New Year with #spicejet. It has been almost 14 days since 27th December when my Spicejet flight from Varanasi airport was cancelled at night & till now no refund has been received inspite of groundstaff taking passenger details," she said in the post on January 11.