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Home » Law In Travel » Airline Defends Strip Searches of its Flight Attendants
Law In TravelSpiceJet

Airline Defends Strip Searches of its Flight Attendants

Matthew Klint Posted onMarch 31, 2018November 14, 2023 6 Comments

a group of women standing in front of a plane

Indian carrier SpiceJet is facing harsh criticism for the way it strip-searched flight attendants suspected of stealing cash from onboard.

SpiceJet collects cash for buy-on-board sales and suspected that FAs were pilfering this money. But it did more than question a number of FAs earlier this week: it strip-searched them. Literally.

Forced to strip naked, several FAs complained of unnecessary touching of private parts. One woman who was in the midst of her period was even forced to remove her sanitary pad. Talk about humiliation…

No money was found.

Yesterday, a bystander captured FAs at Chennai International Airport protesting the searches:

SpiceJet bristled off outrage, calling such searches “a global industry practice” and adding:

One of the objectives of this search is to ensure that there is no pilferage of company moneys/goods, smuggling or any illegal activity that an employee may be lured into. This also ensures security and safety of our passengers, our employees and our assets. This search essentially is the same as what any passenger goes through at any of the Indian airports while going through security check.

As for the invasive strip searches? That’s no problem, says SpiceJet, because “only women security staff search women employees” and such employees take place in a private room.

SpiceJet Defense

I’m not familiar with criminal law in India, but SpiceJet claimed “a specific security tip-off” drove its action. On the other hand, it stated, that it conducted “random pat down searches” which seems more like a fishing expedition than a narrow response to a reasonable suspicion.

CONCLUSION

Can you imagine FAs being subjected to this in the USA, especially in the #metoo era? U.S. carriers used to face this issue as well, but resolved it through cashless cabin policies. While credit card use is not as prevalent in India, SpiceJet could certainly eliminate all potential and actual theft by only accepting debit and credit cards for onboard payment.

But talk about a horrible situation. No one should face such a humiliating strip search without probable cause.

image: SpiceJet

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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6 Comments

  1. Paolo Reply
    April 1, 2018 at 3:17 am

    It’s just nonsense for them to suggest that this is a global trend. An airline trying it in Europe would get short shrift from the courts. Even more so in the USA, Australia, UK.

    The other day I was gazing out the gate window waiting for a delayed flight; noticed that some of the service crew from the turnaround procedures fot a very thorough pat down as they exited the plane onto the tarmac. I guess they were cleaning or food service staff. They were male; this was BKK. It was clear that it’s part of the routine as they spread out in anticipation of the event.

  2. steve Reply
    April 1, 2018 at 7:33 am

    The Fourth Amendment unreasonable search and seizure does not apply to private actors. For example, a private person can commit a burglary and find evidence of a crime and the evidence obtained by breaking in without a warrant would not be suppressed.

    • Matthew Reply
      April 1, 2018 at 12:13 pm

      I’m not talking about the USA or even on constitutional grounds. I’m speculating about laws in India and how unreasonable it is, on general justice principles, to perform strip searched without probable cause.

    • Matt Reply
      April 1, 2018 at 2:03 pm

      wtf did that have to do with anything… did you read the article?

  3. Pingback: Where To Find Flight Deals, Hilton Airline Transfer Partner Changes, Innocent Stewardesses Strip Searched - BaldThoughts
  4. Pingback: Airline Defending Decision to Strip Search Flight Attendants - View from the Wing

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