Saudia hostess calls passenger 'darling'... two families evicted

Saudi airport authorities expelled two local families, including a police officer and a mosque preacher, from an aircraft and intend to prosecute them for swearing at an Arab stewardess who addressed a foreign passenger as darling.

The incident caused a delay in the domestic flight of more than one hour before airport security men boarded the Saudia passenger aircraft and escorted the two families out.

The Saudi Arabic language daily Sabq said the incident started when the preacher rebuked the stewardess after hearing her calling the foreign passenger darling. It said a Saudi police officer with his family then intervened after the stewardess ignored the preacher and started to flirt with a steward in the aircraft.

“Instead of apologizing to us, the Saudia Airways expelled us from the aircraft and asked the authorities to arrest us,” said the preacher, Khaled Al Muhaizi.

Muhaizi told the paper he was flying from the capital Riyadh to the western Red Sea port of Jeddah to perform Umra (mini pilgrimage) with his family when the stewardess started to utter “such rude words in front of our families.”

“A Saudi officer was sitting in front of us and he had his wife and a baby with him…we both tried to draw the stewardess’ attention but she retorted rudely. “She violated the traditions of the country where she works…instead of

punishing her, she was treated as a victim and we as defendants…security men detained us at the airport from midnight until dawn before releasing us on bail pending trial.”

[Image via Shutterstock]

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