Saturday, July 12, 2025

Emirates Airlines has been engulfed in controversy ever since there was an incident that a 71-year-old US citizen of Bangladeshi descent, Laila Hussain, was harassed and not treated politely on an overnight flight from Dhaka to New York. The July 10 incident created an uproar among her relatives and fellow travelers and hinted that the airlines are not too bothered about customer service, especially among seniors and mobility-impaired customers.

Hussain was on Emirates Flight EK587 (Dhaka-Dubai) and EK205 (Dubai-New York JFK) when things turned bad on her trip. She was, on arrival from Dhaka Airport, provided a wheelchair so she could board the flight without hassle. On arrival at Dubai International Airport, she was not given the wheelchair she was assured, claims her family.

Although she told the cabin crew she was unable to walk, Hussain was apparently told by ground staff from Emirates to “walk a bit” so that she might retrieve her wheelchair from the gate. After walking that far, she was apparently left standing alone without anyone to help her. And during one stopover when she was traveling from Dubai International Airport, Hussain was apparently told to ride a train to another terminal without wheelchair service being provided to her, thus further increasing her distress and discomfort.

The issues didn’t end there in Dubai. On a two-hour layover transit from Milan Airport, Hussain’s health kept worsening. Against all protocol, ostensibly all Flight EK205 passengers, which Hussain was on, were deboarding, yet no seat accommodations to those waiting on board within the terminal were being given. Hussain, by medical condition and age, was simply left to stand without a wheelchair, and she thus became ill from that episode.

This so-called treatment was widely condemned by other passengers, many of whom were outraged that a major carrier such as Emirates should treat its senior citizen passengers so disrespectfully, and without so much as minimal comforts such as a seat or a regular wheelchair.

As a result of this traumatic experience on Milan Airport, Dubai-based Emirates’ customer care was approached by Hussain’s New York citizen daughter Ishrat Jahan and sought emergency help. Jahan’s phone calls, however, got an unsympathetic response from an Emirates agent, she stated. The agent, Jahan accused, told her, “They cannot assist because she’s not within Milan airport and why did I purchase this ticket on behalf of my mom?”

This experience has upset Jahan and left her highly unhappy with the airliner. She put the experience on Facebook, where she wrote, “Those airlines are overcharging us by demanding so much from tickets, and this customer service that we deserve? Worst ever flying experience ever. I will never ever fly Emirates, no matter the emergencies I have.”

This episode really isn’t that much of a good one by any stretch. Emirates Airlines, while widespread in its reach, especially to countries like Bangladesh, was critiqued previously on this type of incidences pertaining to seniors, especially those concerning mobility service. The passengers have been complaining about this worsening state of service by the airliner, and that’s especially concerning wheelchair service and care for seniors.

While Emirates captures a percentage share of more than 20% market share between the Middle East and Bangladesh among passengers, those complains have, however, overspread to the airlines’ reputation, especially among Bangladesh expatriates, frequent users of its flights.

As the anger continued to escalate, an Emirates spokesman reacted to the allegations by saying that the firm was “looking into the customer complaint regarding mobility assistance at Milan Malpensa airport.” The spokesman then committed Emirates to take the matter very seriously and cooperate fully with its airport and ground service suppliers to address the matter. The airline vowed to contact the upset customer personally to follow up on the matter and provide additional assistance. “We want to provide service that’s inclusive and accessible to anyone on our flight,” stated the spokesman, reaffirming long-time policy by airlines to treat every customer right, and particularly those that so happen to possess special needs. The need to improve customer satisfaction The Laila Hussain incident has created severe doubts among circles regarding customer service major carriers provide to senior or mobility-handicapped passengers. While Emirates has vowed to take a second look at the matter, the inability to provide proper communication, right assistance, and customer-centric solution within this incident has created doubts on the approach the carrier takes to such vulnerable passengers. While customer care swings increasingly towards the global world, Emirates may need to take stricter policies to ensure such a kind of incident does not take place again days ahead. As global regulations on helping on-board passengers continue to tighten, airlines will need to shift policies to comply with rising expectations, particularly while serving senior citizen, impaired, and disabled passengers.

The Laila Hussain incident serves to be a bitter reminder of the problems that carriers face while providing good customer care and proper care to every customer, particularly the elderly and mobility-handicapped, while on transit. Emirates Airlines, which serves millions of passengers worldwide, including Bangladesh, will need to address such issues seriously and timely to avoid further damaging its image. While the airlines have assured to take a second look into the matter, how this assurance will translate to real-time alterations to future passengers who face the same prospect, only time will decide.