With more cases emerging of alleged airhostess molestations, a cross-section of society folk talk about how best to deal with flights of (indecent) fancy.
If you’re a woman aboard an aircraft, you’d better have had some kind of self-defence training including martial arts before you get airborne. That might be the only way for airhostesses and female passengers alike to get back at a misbehaving male passenger.
Dr Nandini Sardesai, professor at St Xavier’s College, says, “One can’t sit on etiquette. I’d say just slap the guy. One of the solutions is for women to get pro-active and empower themselves with some kind of self-defence technique. Once a couple of passengers are punished, the rest will understand.”
Author Jerry Pinto says, “In India we treat airhostesses as paid slaves or coolies. We expect them to pick up our luggage and even vent our anger at them if we don’t like the quality of food on board, which they are not answerable for.” Pinto has a solution. “Have a camera on board and make in-flight filming compulsory,” he says.
Psychotherapist Anjali Chhabria, who has done a study on airhostesses and behaviour of customers, says, “Sexual harassment is a common occurrence. But I think women are finding their voice now. One of the main reasons for this misbehaviour is the influence of alcohol; it brings to the surface any pent up sexual urges.”
But clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Varkha Chulani feels alcohol is not the only culprit. “What is needed is a shift in the general public outlook.”
Ms Ferns, a senior airhostess flying for 33 years, has a tip for newbies. “The best way to deal with an obnoxious person is not to incite him. There is ‘buddy system’ on the plane with male crew members supposed to help staffers and passengers. If it is beyond a person’s capacity to handle the person, the captain needs to be informed. He has the power to turn around the plane as the misbehaving passenger might cause air rage.”
While author Shobhaa De hasn’t witnessed any such incident, she is intolerant of such ‘boorish conduct’. She says, “Had it happened in my presence, I would have intervened immediately. The only way to curb such behaviour is to arrest and punish the molester severely. It is a shame that other passengers rarely stand up to these louts and prefer to stay out of the incident.”
Recent horrors
Three Churchill Brothers footballers were accused of having inappropriately touched a crew member.
A captain of a private shipping company allegedly molested an airhostess during a Hong Kong-Mumbai flight.
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