A recent long-haul flight turned into a frightening ordeal for former Bollywood actress Neelam Kothari. She has publicly accused Etihad Airways of serious neglect after falling ill onboard.
The incident occurred on a flight from Toronto to Mumbai. Kothari stated the journey was already delayed by over nine hours. The situation became worse after the in-flight meal service.
Shortly after eating, Kothari fell seriously ill. She fainted in the aircraft cabin. In a post on the social media platform X, she described a lack of care from the flight crew.
She wrote that a fellow passenger helped her back to her seat. However, she claims she received no follow-up care. She said not a single crew member checked on her after the incident.
A Public Complaint and Airline Response
Kothari directed her complaint directly to Etihad Airways on X. She expressed being “extremely disappointed” with her treatment.
“Despite a fellow passenger helping me back to my seat, I received no follow up care or even a single check in from your crew,” she wrote. She added that her attempts to contact customer service after landing received no response.
“This level of neglect is unacceptable,” she concluded in her post.
The airline’s social media team replied to her public post. A representative named “Rose” responded, “Sorry to hear about that! Please get in touch with us via DM to look into this for you and assist accordingly.”
Facing Online Criticism
After sharing her story, Kothari also faced some negative comments online. One user replied to her post dismissively, writing, “Seems like a you problem. But let me try to get something out of it.”
Kothari did not ignore the comment. She fired back a response defending her right to complain. She wrote, “You wouldn’t be so flippant had it happened to you my friend, or one of your loved ones!”
Her strong reaction shows how upsetting the experience was for her. It highlights the vulnerability a passenger can feel when falling ill miles above the ground.
The incident raises questions about airline protocols for medical emergencies during flight. It also puts a spotlight on passenger care and how airlines handle complaints after concerning events. As of now, it appears Kothari and the airline are communicating privately to resolve the matter.