British Airways apologizes to female Sikh TV anchor Harsharan Kaur
British Airways apologizes to female Sikh TV anchor Harsharan Kaur
British Airways apologized this month to Harsharan Kaur, who was last year travelling on a 10-hour flight from Vancouver to London, when she had an unpleasant experience of not being served during the meal and refreshments service.
Harsharan Kaur is the first female turbaned Sikh television anchor in India.
The apology was made following a direction from a mediation body, CEDR. The mediation body found that she did not receive the regular service that she was eligible for, while on board a long-haul BA flight in September last year.
While she was travelling in September last year, repeated polite requests were made by her to receive the basic that other passengers would get too. Although she was eventually given a meal for which she was not given a choice, it was only after repeated requests and after everyone else had long been served.
“I had brought my own food on board. But they did not know this and should have offered me a meal when others were being served. I had not carried any water on board. Through the night as I waited for some water, I was dehydrated and very uncomfortable,” Harsharan Kaur had said on her live Facebook video, on landing at Heathrow airport, where she lodged a complaint against BA.
After failing to receive an apology from BA for her treatment, Harsharan Kaur contacted the United Sikhs organization to take on the case, which subsequently went to CEDR for mediation, because she ‘did not want anyone else to go through the same humiliating and uncomfortable experience.’
CEDR, a London-based mediation and alternative dispute resolution body, found that Harsharan Kaur had not received a service that she could have reasonably expected and directed BA to apologize personally to her, because they had failed to do so on receiving the complaint from her.
In their written apology to Harsharan Kaur, BA said this month: “We are very sorry to hear about your experience when travelling with us from Vancouver on 27 September 2017…It’s extremely disappointing to hear you didn’t receive the service you’d expect when travelling with us”.
BA also stated, “It’s only through your comments we’re able to focus on areas where we need to improve, so thank you for taking the time to bring this matter to our attention”.
-PTC News
