I observed quite a ruckus on my Air India flight from Delhi to Dubai after a Russian man bumped into an older American woman during boarding.
A Boarding Bump On My Air India Flight Leads To Heated Cabin Exchange
My flight was operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and business class passengers were invited to board first through the forward boarding door (wheelchairs through the rear boarding door). I was first in line (hoping to take pictures for my flight review) and bolted down the jetbridge.
I had the cabin to myself for quite some time…fairly odd…but I soon understood why.
All of a sudden an older American woman and a younger Russian man entered the cabin, arguing. The woman sat across from me while the man sat on the opposite side of the cabin. I quickly discerned what the matter was.
She was walking with a cane and had apparently been walking too slowly for the man, who tried to get around her. In so doing, he bumped her as he pushed past her. She was irate.
She lectured him for bumping her and ridiculed him for wanting to board so quickly when the flight could not depart until everyone was onboard. Rather than to ask for forgiveness for bumping her, he sneered at her and made a fist with his thumb between his middle and index fingers (which I later learned is the equivalent of extending the middle finger in Russian culture).
He was traveling with a companion and said something to him in Russian, shaking his head. She then called out his poor behavior and linked it to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine:
“You’re just like Putin. You think you can walk over people and push them aside if they get in your way.”
Bravo. She could have called him a “dirty Russian” or said “you’re all the same” but instead she seized on his link to Putin in a way that was not racist.
He just laughed.
I was about to start recording but decided to try and calm the woman down instead. I told her to forget the loser over there and just to have a seat and relax. We chatted for a bit and I learned she was a feisty New Yorker.
And thankfully that was the end of it. Almost. She called out “tacky” loudly once more while seated and I thought that might trigger another round (he certainly heard it and looked over at her), but he said nothing.
When we landed in Dubai, he jumped up and was first off the plane…not sure if he had a connection or just wanted to avoid further conflict, but he disappeared quickly.
I don’t blame the woman for being upset, though I’m not sure engaging him did any good. I know it can be upsetting to get behind a slow person (or drive behind a slow car), but in a narrow jetbridge, you just wait…you cannot push your way through (especially when you make physical contract). His behavior was truly tacky.
“You’re just like Putin. You think you can walk over people and push them aside if they get in your way.”
And you think this was classy? LOL
Also, if she didn’t want to get bumped by people trying to get by, she should have walked on one side of the jetbridge instead of making everyone else keep pace with her fat body.
She wasn’t fat and her statement was right on. Who pushes past a senior citizen? An idiot.
Funny you ask Matthew – I did than less than an hour ago boarding a flight…and I’ll do it again.
And forgive my assumption, I just figured an obnoxious, big mouthed hag from New York would naturally be fat.
Dang, dude. Sorry your life hasn’t turned out the way you had hoped. Hope your rush onto the plane nabbed you that last seatbelt extender, though!
Not surprising the foreigner would side with the russian in this scenario
I hate to bring national politics into a squabble because it clouds the issue. If he was a jerk, call him that simply.
That said… sadly a majority of Russians are imperialist even if they live in western countries from my family’s observation and additionally sadly, her calling him a bully as such would be considered a COMPLIMENT in those who subscribe to that viewpoint. It’s like, say, calling a New Yorker or Philadelphian rude.
So how to hurt his feelings from what I know of the culture? I’d suggest saying his children are probably LGBT. That REALLY gets to them.
I didn’t know about the thumb and index/middle finger thing. Will file away for future use…
Way to go knucklehead.
You veil the story to be about caring for disabled yet your contempt and disdain for Russians is palpable. Loser.
Russians are gorgeous people. But you need to stay out of Ukraine.
so she is obnoxious for being from New York and being elderly.. You need to check yourself… no one needs people like you around them.. GROW TF UP
Eat me.
All the class of Trump but at half the IQ.
Suck my scrotum
LOL found the russian shill. FOH
One day ton will be old and walking slow, maybe with a Cain, and some jerk will blow by you and cause you inability in a narrow place, and I hope they tell you to suck their scrotum and eat me.
You’re classless fool and an embarrassment to yourself. As if you wouldn’t have been angry is do someone did this to your disabled mom.
And what’s with the gender, age and nationalistic hate?
Disgusting.
A Russian and an American. What could go wrong, right? Now, why would you ever record that? What happened to “mind your own business”? Seriously, when things like this happen the best thing you can do is put your headphones and ignore. Nothing good can come out of you getting in the middle of it. Let the FAs deal with it.
@Santastico … Nothing to do with being Russian . In my experience , Russians have been very cordial . It is ironic that a person in DDR-East Germany would be treated with cordiality by Russian M.P.s , as I was .
She experienced what many elderly or disabled people experience . In particular , disabled people are pushed around . I have a nice surprise waiting for them with my stout cane well-aimed for their knee in self-defense .
Putin’s invasion of **Ukraine**, but your article says Rusia
Yes, though in a sense he has invaded Russia too…
First, “Putin’s invasion of Russia” Ukraine?
More important, kudos. Rather than record it, you de-escalated it. Nothing wrong with recording to protect the innocent, but I think you did the best thing.
Typical Russian trash. Not only America is full of garbage (the MAGA crew).
Where were the FAs during all of this?
It should be “slowly”
If you want to be a journalist, use correct grammar.
I’m just a blogger telling a story.
That’s no excuse for poor grammar, young man.
Russia is a nation of liars, cheats, mafia thugs, and lowlife dirtbags. Every single one of them a bully or a terrorist. It’ll be a better world when every Russian city has been reduced to just smoking craters. We all should look forward to that day.
Whoa! Someone’s been reading too much propoganda…
Most Russians are like you and me, trying to make ends meet…
Get rid of Putin and the oligarchs and you can have peace…
Most Russians outside Russia (ie anyone with money) are rude and entitled. You can almost always tell them even before they open their mouth. If it’s not the behavior it’s the hideous clothes and makeup.
Russians generally are very cold and even more closed and reserved than Northern Europeans, but that doesn’t mean they are all mean or rude, but definitely many you encounter in Europe or the US are rude and entitled and think they are superior to everyone else and God’s gift to mankind, oh wait, they got rid of God over a hundred years ago.
Russian bizynes traveller with patience issues, a grumpy old New Yorker entitled Upper East Sider, an airline with a history of pax peeing on each other, flying between two destinations that mean very little to most who will read this, and be appreciated by even fewer… this post has no redeeming characteristics at all, just a whole load of not our circus, not our monkeys. People suck.
Staying with Putin at the hotel in Bangkok I was knocked like a croquet ball by one of his entourage (thugs) at the afternoon tea. The next push came from behind from another of his party. I am 5 ‘ 4″ and thankfully large animals don’t bother me. Best to just ignore undiplomatic behavior.
They can be Bear-ish .
If the woman needed more time she should have pre boarded first or boarded last. Why didn’t you yield to the woman with a cane in the boarding area and let her pre board Matthew ?
Most decent people — whether they be American, Indian, Russian or whatever else — try to be careful not to bump and hurt elderly people who are slow-going for pretty obvious reasons. But add in the hordes of people walking around with their attention focused on their phones while they continue walking and then add onto it the lower levels of respect for others in the community and it’s all a recipe for being more dangerous for the elderly and mobility challenged — including young kids in the latter case — than it used to be in airports too.
I’m all for engagement and calling people out. If you just accept bad behavior without confrontation, you endorse it.
I’m proud of the woman. It’s the kind of thing I do anyway whether right or not.
Russians are all the same. Uncultured animals.
Despite what Putinistas want, there is a lot of diversity among Russians too. And the Russians who have lived or spent extensive time in India have more typically been anything but boorish.
Personally, I’ve never had a Russian passenger at any non-Russian airport ever be a nuisance to me and my travel party members. I wish I could say the same thing about some of the passengers from certain parts of NATO world even on some of my EU/Schengen flights to the US.
Funny. Since you post something where it is all about nationalities. How comes that Americans constantly put their feet onto chairs, onto tables, bulkheads? In the lounge, in restaurants? Are they somehow sick? Is it yoga? This is like same behaviour as the American president thinking his dirt is gold
I’m certainly not defending Mr. Trump here.
This is 100% the woman’s fault. Of course you’d side with the American. Disappointing.
No it’s not. You must be kidding. He pushed her!