An airline passenger, who was travelling from Morocco to the UK, has accused EasyJet of ‘racial profiling’ after a flight attendant burst in on him when he was using the plane’s toilet for more than 15 minutes.
Watch the man confronting the flight attendant who burst in on him
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35-year-old Adil Kayani, a food wholesaler from Birmingham, said he was left red-faced when an EasyJet steward burst in on him when he was using the toilet.
He said that it was racial discrimination and accused the airline of Islamophobia.
Adil said: “There was a heavy knock on the door. I shouted, ‘I’ll be out soon, hold on a minute.’ But then the lock turned from red to green. Someone had opened it from the outside and forced their way in.”
“I was still sat on the toilet and I was completely exposed. I shouted ‘get out’ and he shut the door immediately.”
“They didn’t do this to anyone else on the flight. It’s not as if I was in the toilet for a long time. I feel completely violated.”
When he came out of the toilet, he saw the steward who opened the door and confronted him.
Then a stewardess was sent over to explain and she said it was a part of their safety and security policy.
After he complained to the company, he was offered £500 ($660) as a gesture of goodwill which he has turned down.
The airline said that it was for his welfare as he was locked in the toilet for more than 15 minutes.
However, Adil believes it happened due to his Pakistani heritage and Muslim faith.
He said: “I think it was racial discrimination. They can see the colour of my skin. I was racially profiled. It was discrimination. I think it is Islamophobic. I feel like my dignity was violated and my dignity is more important than the money.”
“I was made to feel like a criminal. It was really humiliating for me. That is the first time anything like that has ever happened to me. The only way I can make sense of it is because of my racial background. Why else was no one broken in to? It doesn’t make sense.”
Meanwhile, an EasyJet spokesperson said: “EasyJet is sorry if Mr. Kayani is unhappy, however, the cabin crew correctly followed safety procedures by knocking on the toilet door and then opening it after there was no answer, following a concern that a passenger had been inside for some time.”
“This procedure is in place to ensure passenger safety of all passengers on board including the well-being of the customer in the toilet. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that race played a role.”
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