An airline passenger has accused EasyJet of 'racial profiling' after an air steward burst in on him using the toilet mid-flight - because he'd been in the loo too long.
Adil Kayani, 35, was left red-faced when an EasyJet steward barged in on him while he was sat on the loo, with his trousers around his ankles.
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EasyJet said staff did it for 'safety and security reasons' after Adil had been in there for more than 15 minutes. The company has now offered him £500 ($660) as a gesture of goodwill.
But the passenger said he was mortified and was left 'exposed' after the male staff member unlocked the door from the outside, two hours into a flight from Marrakesh.
Adil, a food wholesaler from Birmingham said: "There was a heavy knock on the door. I shouted, 'I'll be out soon, hold on a minute.'
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"But then the lock turned from red to green. Someone had opened it from the outside and forced their way in. I was still sat on the toilet and I was completely exposed. I shouted 'get out' and he shut the door immediately.
"They didn't do this to anyone else on the flight. It's not as if I was in the toilet for a long time. I feel completely violated."
The incident happened two hours into a flight from Marrakesh, Morocco, to Manchester on 5 March, as Adil was travelling home from a winter holiday.
He claims he was in the toilet for less than ten minutes when the steward opened the door. But the airline argued that he was locked inside the bathroom for 'some time' and staff were concerned for his welfare.
Adil, who runs a channel called Close Shave TV, said he complained to 'dismissive' staff, adding: "When I came out of the toilet I saw the guy who opened the door but he avoided me. I was expressing I was unhappy about it.
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"I sat back down and a stewardess was sent over to explain. She said it was part of their safety and security policy."
He has been offered - and said he has rejected - a £500 goodwill gesture and an apology from EasyJet after he complained to the company when back in the UK.
While the airline says Adil was disturbed over concerns for his welfare, he claims to be the victim of 'racial profiling', due to his Pakistani heritage and Muslim faith.
He accused staff of interrupting his toilet break after becoming 'suspicious' of what he was doing in the loo. He said: "I think it was racial discrimination. They can see the colour of my skin. I was racially profiled. It was discrimination. I think it is Islamophobic.
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"I feel like my dignity was violated and my dignity is more important than the money. I'm just not happy with that. I want a proper apology from the individual who I feel was not only dismissive, but extremely rude and arrogant.
"I was made to feel like a criminal. It was really humiliating for me. That is the first time anything like that has ever happened to me. The only way I can make sense of it is because of my racial background. Why else was no one broken into? It doesn't make sense."
An EasyJet spokesperson said: "EasyJet is sorry if Mr Kayani is unhappy, however the cabin crew correctly followed safety procedures by knocking on the toilet door and then opening it after there was no answer, following a concern that a passenger had been inside for some time.
"This procedure is in place to ensure passenger safety of all passengers on board including the well-being of the customer in the toilet. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that race played a role."
Featured Image Credit: SWNSTopics: Plane, News, UK, airline, Easyjet