Air India Adjusts Alcohol Policy Following Mid-Air 'Pee Gate' Scandal

Air India, the flag carrier of India, has recently adjusted its in-flight alcohol service policy following a mid-air urination scandal that cost the airline over $40,000 in fines, South China Morning Post reports.

The incident, dubbed "Pee Gate" by local media, involved a drunk senior US bank executive accused of urinating on a 72-year-old woman on a flight from New York to New Delhi.

Air India 'Pee Gate'

The incident happened in November 2022, and Air India was heavily chastised for handling the woman's complaint and for allowing the banker to disembark as usual when the plane landed.

Air India upheld itself in a recent statement, "in the judgment of the crew, the alleged perpetrator posed no risk to flight safety at any time."

Air India was fined 3 million rupees ($37,000) by the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the airline's director of in-flight services was fined an additional 300,000 rupees. The flight's pilot's license was also suspended for three months for failing to perform his duties to ensure safety and discipline.

Air India acknowledged that it did not report the incident as required by the Indian aviation regulator. However, the airline called the penalty excessive and promised to assist its employees in filing an appeal.

The DGCA fined the airline an additional 1 million rupees ($12,250) for failing to report two incidents of unruly passenger behavior on a separate flight from Paris to New Delhi on December 6, 2022.

The incidents have resulted in Air India's first major public relations crisis since its privatization in 2022.

Doubling Down on Prevention

To avoid similar incidents in the future, the airline will now use the "traffic light" system developed by the US National Restaurant's Association to train crew members to recognize and manage possible cases of intoxication, NDTV reports.

To indicate the level of passenger intoxication, the system employs a red, yellow, and green color code, with red representing severe intoxication, yellow representing moderate intoxication, and green representing no signs of intoxication.

The system, already used by several airlines in the United States and Europe, is intended to help flight attendants identify and manage passengers who may pose a risk to themselves, other passengers, and the crew.

Crew members will be trained to recognize and report any signs of intoxication in passengers, such as slurred speech, lack of coordination, and aggressive behavior.

Air India's new policy also restricts the sale of alcohol on board and limits the amount of alcohol each passenger can consume. In addition, the airline will increase the number of security personnel on board to deal with any incidents of disruptive passenger behavior.

Full Context

Shankar Mishra, 34, is accused of peeing on a female co-passenger in business class on a flight from New York to Delhi on November 26, 2022. The female passenger claimed that the male passenger was "completely inebriated" in her two-page statement.

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