A 19-year-old Australian athlete, Lily Winward from Ulladulla, experienced a distressing situation during her Etihad Airways journey from Athens in September where she was forced to travel with a toddler in her lap. The incident occurred during a layover in the United Arab Emirates.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, when informed about overbooking, airline staff suggested hotel accommodation. However, Winward felt unsafe about leaving Abu Dhabi airport at night while wearing athletic attire, particularly as another passenger was persistently asking her to share a taxi.
“I was quite upset. I was crying, and I said, ‘I just want to get home; I don’t feel safe going to a hotel, especially with this guy bothering me,'” she explained to the Herald.
Following her panic attack, Etihad personnel offered her a solution to board her original flight, but with the condition of sharing her seat with a toddler. She accepted this arrangement, resulting in a 14-16 hour journey with a child on her lap.
“I just think it’s not good enough, for someone who has paid $3,000 for flights, it shouldn’t happen,” she said to the Herald.
Despite multiple attempts by Winward and her travel agent to address this issue with Etihad, they have received no response. She questions why she was selected for removal from the flight instead of families or couples, given her vulnerable position as a solo female traveller.
This incident follows previous controversies involving Australian women and Middle Eastern airlines. Notably, in 2020, several women, including five Australians, were removed from a Qatar Airways aircraft in Doha and subjected to invasive examinations after an abandoned infant was discovered in the airport facilities.