Singapore Airlines (SIA) is looking into serious allegations made by a passenger on a recent flight from Singapore to India, which was delayed by almost three hours.
SQ516, operating from Singapore to Kolkata on June 8, had experienced technical issues on the ground, resulting in a delay of two hours and 52 minutes.
In a posting, Facebook user Chandni Doulatramani, who was on the plane, claimed that cabin crew were rude to passengers who had asked why the plane was delayed.
In her post accompanied by a video that has since been widely shared, Ms Chandni said that passengers, who had already boarded the plane, became more agitated when they were allegedly told to remain in their seats with their seat belts on.
This was despite the air-conditioning not working and the aircraft cabin becoming increasingly humid and uncomfortable, she said.
She added: "When we confronted the cabin crew, they had no answers, rudely shut us up, threatened to call the cops to arrest us, and said 'we are in the same situation as you are, don't ask us, we don't know anything'."
She said: "The airline didn't let anybody go. We were being treated like prisoners, being asked to sit in our seats and wear our seat belts.
" They told us if we were going to offload ourselves, then we wouldn't be allowed back in and they would put us on another plane which was two days later and they wouldn't compensate us for any of it."
Cabin crew did not serve drinks either, until angry passengers walked up to the galley to demand refreshments, Ms Chandni said.
In the video she posted, passengers are seen arguing with airline staff.
Across various social media platforms, the incident has prompted thousands of comments from netizens; those who joined Ms Chandni to slam the airline and others who said that they found it hard to believe that SIA cabin crew would behave in such an unprofessional manner.
Mr Sim Kok Chwee, who works in the logistics sector and travels at least once a month, said: "I was not there and therefore, cannot attest to the validity of the complaints. But... I will say that I have flown on more than 60 airlines and I have never been treated any different from others on SIA flights."
SIA told The Straits Times: "We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to our customers on board. With regard to the online post, we take these claims seriously and will be looking into them thoroughly."
