DUBAI – A lawyer from Mumbai has demanded Rs 87 lakh from internationalairline Emirates for ‘trauma’ after he found a cockroach in his in-flightmeal, Mumbai Mirror link>reported.
He was so disgusted by the sight of an insect in his food that he threw upa few times in the bathroom, the report added.
Yusuf Iqbal was flying first class from Casablanca in Morocco to Mumbai onFebruary 27 when he discovered the insect in his salad. Iqbal, a lawyer,has been practising law for 17 years and is a senior member of London-basedInternational Council of Jurists. He was travelling with his wife Suruchiand their 18 friends in February to celebrate his 40th birthday.
Iqbal also told the daily that the incident put him off flying and he laterskipped a work-related engagement that required air travel. He missed outon anticipated professional fees of Rs 30 lakh, according to the legalnotice to Emirates. “He has cited the loss of the potential fees, Rs 50lakh for mental trauma, and Rs 7 lakh for his and wife’s first-class returntickets (Mumbai-Casablanca-Mumbai) in the compensation demand,” the reportsaid.
Iqbal sent the legal notice last week after a “without prejudice oradmission of liability” response from the airline “admitted” that it was abeetle and offered him 25,000 air miles “as a token of regret”. Hemaintains he saw a cockroach in his chicken salad.
In its response to the complaint, the airline’s customer affairs executivesaid: “The inspection of the beetle allegedly found in your salad shows itwas a common seasonal beetle found in Morocco. But, finding out how it cameaboard was difficult to pinpoint.”
It added: “The only explanation that is plausible, is that despitefumigation of the aircraft at Casablanca, the beetle somehow got in theaircraft whilst in Casablanca airport waiting for boarding, and waspossible lurking somewhere in the galley area.”
Iqbal has given Emirates time till mid-April to pay the Rs 87-lakhcompensation.