An Australian teen recently claimed she was forced to fly home with a stranger’s toddler in her lap due to the airline overbooking the flight.
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While speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Lily Winward, 19, of Ulladulla, stated she took an Etihad Airways flight from an athletics competition in Athnes this past September when the flight had a layover in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Although the first half of her travels went smoothly, Winward said things took a turn when the airline staff told her that the flight had been overbooked and she would have to be put up in a nearby hotel.
Winward explained that she felt unsafe leaving the airport at night while wearing activewear in Abu Dhabi. She also claimed another passenger had been harassing her to get into a taxi with him.
“I was quite upset,” Winward told the media outlet. “I was crying, and I said, ‘I just want to get home; I don’t feel safe going to a hotel, especially with this guy bothering me.’”
Winward further explained the complicated travel situation caused her to have an anxiety attack. To get her home, an Etihad staffer told Winward that they could put her back on the original flight. However, there was one condition. She would have to share her seat with a toddler.
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The teen decided the deal was worth it. She then endured a more than 12-hour flight with a toddler sitting on her lap.
She said the experience was not up to her standards.
“I just think it’s not good enough for someone who has paid $3,000 for flights,” Winward stated. “It shouldn’t happen.”
Winward stated that she and her travel agent have repeatedly reached out to Etihad to complain about the situation. However, the airline has gone radio silent.
Winward added that she wanted to know why she, a teen traveling alone, was bumped from the flight instead of the family or couple.
Daily Mail, reported there have been concerns about the treatment of young Western female travelers on Middle Eastern airlines. In 2020, a dozen women, including five Australians, were booted off a Qatar Airways flight in Doha. They were forced to undergo an invasive search and exam when an abandoned baby was discovered in one of the airport’s bathrooms.
Qatar’s then-Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani apologized for the incident. He called it a “violation” of its laws and values.