‘Rude & disrespectful’: Lufthansa crew accused of discriminating against Indians, Paytm CEO reacts

Lufthansa flights attendants have been accused of openly discriminating against Indians, particularly those who couldn't speak English.

Lufthansa flights attendants have been accused of openly discriminating against Indians, particularly those who couldn't speak English.

Lufthansa's aircraft (REUTERS)

An anonymous Reddit user, who claims to be a New York resident who frequently visit his family in India, alleged that crew members on his recent US-India flight were "rude and disrespectful" to passengers.

In a lengthy Reddit post, he highlighted that not just the cabin crew was the issue, ground staff members of the German airline also displayed offensive behavior when approached.

The Reddit user said he has flown regularly on Air India and Emirates, but this was the first time that he boarded a Lufthansa flight.

Recalling a shocking incident with the crew of the airline, he wrote: “I asked an airline representative where I could fill my water bottle in Frankfurt, he replied by saying ‘Do I look like the information desk to you, don't ask me’.”

He then continued to list several other incidents of racism he witnessed first-hand – “On my flight to India, two crew members would insult passengers, specifically those who were older and could not speak English that well. I saw this occur multiple times with different passengers sitting in front of me,” he wrote.

There was one case in which an elderly woman, who was not fluent in English, pointed to the tea on the beverage cart and said, "Yes." He claimed that the flight attendant "almost yelled" at her and told her to "open your mouth and use your words" instead of giving her the tea.

When other crew members wanted something as simple as a napkin, they were told to "wait your turn."

In the meantime, Lufthansa mishandled the catering order, delivering vegan meals to all those who asked for vegetarian meals. He mentioned, "This same crew member went on a rant near me, talking to a customer about why they're ordering food if they're not going to eat it."

Another strange incident occurred on the same flight – a woman ordered a vegetarian meal, but she was given chicken instead. She was informed that since the food box had already been opened, it could not be replaced. A crew member allegedly said, "You don't go to a restaurant, eat the food, and ask for it to be taken back."

The Reddit user concluded the post saying that he could not even imagine Lufthansa Airlines crew treating American or European customers this way.

“None of these issues are that serious, but I could not even imagine them treating American or European customers this way without significant pushback. I understand the cabin crew role is difficult and demanding. However, I cannot justify spending ~800 dollars on a ticket and seeing that the crew can just treat people in an insulting way. I will be giving this feedback to the airline as well.”

Agreeing with the Reddit user on X (formerly Twitter), Bengaluru-based techie Shantanu Goel shared a screenshot of the former's post. “All this behavior, including downright rude and idiotic staff is unfortunately not an aberration but quite common on Lufthansa, which is why I never fly it,” Goel wrote.

Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma & internet react

The post has been widely shared on both Reddit and X, with many levelling similar allegations of racism against Lufthansa.

"I did Lufthansa late 2022 from Toronto to Frankfurt and on to Mumbai. Frankfurt was absolutely packed with Desis, the airport staff treated everyone like garbage. The flight was delayed 5hrs due to a "technical" fault with the aircraft and we had to deboard," one Reddit user wrote.

“The one time I traveled thru Lufthansa they were super rude to me too. Meal service has just started and I just woke up from my sleep and the cabin crew member snapped at me saying ‘pull your seat in front, how will the person behind you eat’ like a teacher admonishing a child,” another added.

A third said, ''Lufthansa and Air France are notorious for how they treat Indian patrons. Emirates, Air India, Etihad, and Singapore airlines are much better for Seniors in particular.''

Meanwhile, the Goel's post also caught attention of Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma. “Can't wait Air India and Indigo to go places -- many of us would rather not fly Europian airlines," Sharma wrote.

In 2017, Sharma had chastised Lufthansa over its services. “Lufthansa sucks. Priority baggage and not offloaded in an hour of landing. Delhi staff says, everyday affair,” he tweeted.