summary
- A Singapore Airlines flight attendant is suing the airline for $1.2 million after slipping and falling on a flight from SFO to Cincinnati in 2019.
- Crew members claim the airline failed to provide a safe working environment and ignored a grease patch in the galley.
- Flight attendant lawsuits are not uncommon, and other airlines have faced lawsuits over injuries and equipment defects.
According to local media, a Singapore Airlines flight attendant has sued Singapore Airlines for $1.2 million in damages after an apparent slip and fall between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN). filed a lawsuit asking for it. The incident is ongoing and expected to continue today, CNA reports.
incident
The incident relates to an incident on September 5, 2019, in which a flight attendant alleged that Singapore Airlines failed to provide a safe working environment in the galley of an A350-900 operating SFO-SIN. Crew members say the airline ignored the grease. Although the patch was applied, it did not adequately prevent the slip and fall accident that occurred during the flight to SIN.
Flight attendant Deuraraj Santillan told the court that the cabin crew on the Singapore Airlines A350 noticed a grease patch in the economy class galley after it was prepared for departure. Santillan allegedly notified his supervisor and instructed him to clean the grease patch before leaving. However, repeated attempts failed to resolve the patch, and Santillan claims he was advised by flight attendants at the time to work around the patch.
Photo: Andrew Kreider | Simple Flight
Durairaj ended up falling backwards nearly two hours before landing on the 17-hour flight. Although his injury was not widely reported at the time, Durairaj required a wheelchair to disembark the plane. The $1.2 million Deurairaj is seeking is compensation for lost wages due to missed work due to injury. Mr. Durairaj worked as a flight attendant at Singapore Airlines from 2016 to 2021.
Singapore Airlines and the law firm representing it in court did not respond to pre-publication inquiries. The airline operates two daily flights to SFO using an A350-900. This flight is the fourth longest flight in Singapore Airlines’ network. Singapore Airlines launched its service to SFO in 2018. The twice-daily service utilized both all-premium and standard long-haul cabin configurations with 187 economy class seats. United Airlines also flies this route using both 787-9s and 777-300ERs.
Flight attendant lawsuit
Unfortunately, cabin crew injuries are not new to Singapore Airlines. Just yesterday in the United States, United Airlines Flight 1890 between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) encountered turbulence upon landing, injuring at least 16 people on board (both passengers and crew). did. On January 31, near Singapore, ANA Flight 849 also encountered turbulence, injuring two flight attendants.
Photo: Andrew Kreider | Simple Flight
Litigation between flight attendants and their airlines is not uncommon. In 2022, Irish low-cost airline Ryanair settled a lawsuit brought by a flight attendant who injured her back in a hard landing. In this case, the flight attendant claimed that the seats were worn and defective.
Recently, four American Airlines flight attendants were awarded damages after a court found that their uniforms caused their illnesses. In that case, uniforms provided by Twin Hill, a company named as a defendant in the lawsuit, were found to be contaminated with formaldehyde.