AI passenger onboard Delhi-SFO flight suffers burns after crew accidentally spills coffee
New Delhi (PTI): A passenger onboard an Air India flight from the national capital to San Francisco earlier this month suffered burns after a cabin crew member accidentally spilled coffee on her, and the airline has apologised for the incident.
The passenger took to social media to narrate her experience, saying "Air India delivered distressing experience that took a harrowing turn when flight attendant spilled hot water on my leg".
"I was travelling from New Delhi to SFO on Flight AI 173 with my 4-yr-old son and 83-yr-old mother-in-law. The flight lasted approximately 16 hrs, and it was nothing short of a nightmare," the passenger said in a long thread posted on social media platform X on September 27.
The passenger claimed that she was in excruciating pain and that screamed and cried for help, and that after some time, a physician on the plane offered assistance.
The physician diagnosed the "injury as a second-degree burn and attempted to provide care. However the flight lacked essential medical supplies, and the treatment was far from ideal I endured severe pain for nearly two hours in flight with no pain medication or proper first aid kit available," the passenger said in the thread.
"We sincerely regret the unfortunate incident that occurred on our flight AI 173 operating Delhi-San Francisco on 20 September 2023. One of our cabin crew members accidentally spilled coffee on a guest during service," an Air India spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.
While the passenger has claimed that the crew spilled hot water, the airline said coffee was spilled.
The airline said the crew immediately administered first aid to the guest and paged for a doctor on board, who attended to the affected guest.
"We have expressed our sincere apologies to the guest, whom our teams have been in touch with to offer all further assistance, including medical care. We have taken serious note of the incident, and will ensure to retrain the crew member on our standard procedures to avoid such an incident in the future," the spokesperson said.
According to the passenger, upon landing, the paramedic team evacuated her from the plane, and that the crew did not attend to the family members, leaving them alone and unaware of what was happening.
"It was only with the help of a kind fellow passenger that my mother-in-law was able to contact my brother, who came to pick them up," the passenger claimed.
The passenger also urged the airline to take immediate steps to rectify these issues and provide better care and services to its passengers in the future.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
