EgyptAir is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, and while it’s supposed to be a happy moment, it’s facing a lot of backlash online after a Lebanese-Canadian comedian released a video and several Instagram stories claiming maltreatment and an inhumane experience during her flight out of the country.
What Happened?
On September 9, Lebanese-Canadian comedian Maya Hussein and several members of her family were traveling from Cairo, Egypt, to Toronto, Canada, where they encountered several problems at the airport and plane.
According to the video, Hussein claims that she and the rest of the people were kept at the airport for over six hours at the airport’s terminal without providing any information on why that was the case.
After finally boarding the plane, the plane was again delayed further for three hours with no information released to the passengers. Hussein released a video on her Instagram account where she claims that it was so hot on the plane that people (including the elderly and children) found it so hard to breathe that some individuals needed Oxygen masks, and four people lost consciousness.
After those harrowing three hours, Hussein shared some Instagram stories where it showed the passengers left in the freezing cold at the airport terminal, where she stated that officials at the airport denied the passengers blankets for some unknown reason, but relented in the end. In the video, viewers can see people lying on the floor and others sitting in the nearby waiting area.
The comedian also alleged that they were denied food or water for a long time and that some airport officials threatened to put them in jail if they yelled or spoke.
In another Instagram story after she landed in Canada, she also claimed that the airline wanted to silence her by offering her (and she claims only her) a 30% discount on her next purchase, which she rejected because there were other people affected by this incident and they didn’t get the same offer.
In the last part of her Instagram stories, she urged people not to book flights with EgyptAir and to use another airline.
EgyptAir’s Response
EgyptAir, so far, has remained silent on the matter with no press release or information regarding the matter in any way. Instead, they released several posts on social media where they shared offers.
What Are EgyptAir’s Protocols In Such A Situation?
According to the official EgyptAir website, there is a contingency plan for “Essential Customer Needs During Extraordinary Delays.”
“Safety and comfort of our customers is our top priority. On very rare occasions, extraordinary events may result in lengthy onboard delays. We have developed detailed contingency plans to deal with situations in which an aircraft is delayed on the ground without access to a terminal gate. We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that your essential needs, such as food, water, restroom facilities, and basic medical assistance are met,” reads the official EgyptAir website.
However, Hussein claimed in her videos that several of these protocols were not followed.
Social Media’s Response
People on social media were outraged about the situation, with many people sharing their own horror stories with their airline ranging everything from losing their luggage to getting the same treatment on long flights, leading to the launch of the “Boycott EgyptAir” hashtag on social media.
Some users also claimed that their comments on EgyptAir’s social media platforms to raise the company’s awareness about the incident were deleted. That said, we still found several comments still available on the airline’s Instagram account.
At the same time, other comments were defending the airline, comparing it to other airlines worldwide, and stating that every airline goes through some issues from time to time.
EgyptAir’s History
EgyptAir was founded in 1932 as Misr Airwork and would start its first-ever flight from Cairo to Alexandria in 1933, becoming the seventh carrier in the world. It would later change its name to MisrAir in 1946, adding more planes to its fleet and expanding its flight destinations.
The company would change its name twice in the decades past WWII before settling on EgyptAir in 1971.
The company is well-recognized worldwide thanks to being part of the Star Alliance network, the largest airline alliance network in the world, and the only one in the MENA region to join the network. The airline has a total of 68 planes in its fleet, enabling it to reach over 90 countries globally.
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