Bangalore: A Mumbai-bound woman passenger was allegedly harassed by Spicejet staff in Kempegowda International Airport on Friday after she was found carrying nearly 2.5 kg of dried coconut in her baggage. Mansi Kamathi, 34, alleged that she was shocked to receive a call from the airline staff informing her that her baggage would have to be opened due to the presence of farm produce.
"It was nearly 7:30 am when I got the first call asking me to go downstairs to the baggage area. A staffer accompanied me to the preliminary examination room where one of my bags was brought in. Sounding rude, they told me that coconuts were not allowed even in check-in baggage and that the restrictions were supposedly printed at the back of my ticket. The coconuts were taken out and dumped in the dustbin. I told them that my second bag also contained dry coconut," said Mansi, speaking to Bangalore Mirror from her Mumbai home.
Surprisingly, she was told that her second bag had already passed through and that there would be no further issues. Mansi went back upstairs and had her security check done for the second time. Barely 15 minutes later, she received another phone call from the same Spicejet staff asking her to go to the Spicejet counter to remove the coconut found in her second bag, which was by then located.
"I was aghast. I was informed that I would have to go back all the way downstairs and remove the package. They were very rude and I was treated like a criminal and was not even allowed to stand alongside other passengers. The staff chided me, saying dry coconuts could catch fire. By the time I went back upstairs and did the security check for the third time, it was 8:30 am and only 20 minutes was left for take-off," Mansi said.
The ordeal did not end there. Mansi was then allegedly forced to pay Rs 750 as a fine for carrying the coconuts, saying "it exceeded the permitted weight".
17/06/14 Praveen Kumar/Bangalore Mirror
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"It was nearly 7:30 am when I got the first call asking me to go downstairs to the baggage area. A staffer accompanied me to the preliminary examination room where one of my bags was brought in. Sounding rude, they told me that coconuts were not allowed even in check-in baggage and that the restrictions were supposedly printed at the back of my ticket. The coconuts were taken out and dumped in the dustbin. I told them that my second bag also contained dry coconut," said Mansi, speaking to Bangalore Mirror from her Mumbai home.
Surprisingly, she was told that her second bag had already passed through and that there would be no further issues. Mansi went back upstairs and had her security check done for the second time. Barely 15 minutes later, she received another phone call from the same Spicejet staff asking her to go to the Spicejet counter to remove the coconut found in her second bag, which was by then located.
"I was aghast. I was informed that I would have to go back all the way downstairs and remove the package. They were very rude and I was treated like a criminal and was not even allowed to stand alongside other passengers. The staff chided me, saying dry coconuts could catch fire. By the time I went back upstairs and did the security check for the third time, it was 8:30 am and only 20 minutes was left for take-off," Mansi said.
The ordeal did not end there. Mansi was then allegedly forced to pay Rs 750 as a fine for carrying the coconuts, saying "it exceeded the permitted weight".
17/06/14 Praveen Kumar/Bangalore Mirror
