A woman said she was shouted at while trying to enter business class to board an Emirates flight. In a video with more than 64,000 views on TikTok, Fafa A. (@f_adika) explained how Emirates potentially profiled her and shouted at her.
What happened on Emirates flight?
Fafa booked a flight with Emirates in advance for business class, arriving with “everyone else” to board. While trying to enter the business-class area, staff members screamed at her, “Don’t pass here,” assuming she did not have a ticket. They did not shout at any other passengers traveling with the carrier.
Fafa had to confirm multiple times with the ground staff that she had a business-class ticket in order to proceed onto the plane.
In a statement posted in the caption of the video, she said: “I paid for business class, but I got profiled instead. While walking toward the business-class escalator, Emirates ground staff shouted at me without checking my ticket because they assumed I didn’t belong. Even if I was in the wrong lane, shouting is never the answer. You walk over, [and] you ask respectfully. That’s basic human decency. I wish I had gone back to ask them why they thought I didn’t belong. Why [did] they look at me and immediately shout like I didn’t deserve to be there. But [at] that moment, I was too stunned to speak.”
In the video, she added, “I have never been more upset and embarrassed.”
Since then, Fafa has clarified that she feels she was racially profiled by the airline.
Does the travel industry racially profile its passengers?
While Emirates specifically has not been found to racially profile passengers, the travel industry as a whole is notorious for incidents involving racial profiling.
One pilot for Mesa Airlines canceled a flight after seeing two Muslim men board in 2019. Some Airbnb properties have refused Black travelers in cities including Baltimore, Dallas, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. The travel industry has a fair share of racial profiling incidents across various sectors. Assuming that a Black woman isn’t supposed to be in business class is a complaint-worthy and possibly profile-driven incident.
Other commenters weigh in with similar experiences
Other commenters shared similar situations. One TikTok viewer wrote, “I am Indian [and] this happened to me too on an Emirates flight from DBX to LDN. I was so confused, didn’t want to make a scene & only realised what was happening when I walked into economy [and] was told to walk through to Business [and] stopped a [second] time! I am British and as soon as I spoke, the atmosphere changed.”
Some users offered advice. One advised, “First of all, walk up to them and make a video showing the exact employees and express your disappointment. Post it. Black folks, we have tolerated such nonsense for too long. The power of social media is real. Don’t be nice, if you belong there you need to act like it and break down the house.”
@f_adika I paid for business class but got profiled instead!!! While walking toward the business class escalator, Emirates ground staff shouted at me without checking my ticket because they assumed I didn’t belong!! Even if I was in the wrong lane, shouting is never the answer. You walk over, you ask respectfully. That’s basic human decency!! I wish I had gone back to ask them why they thought I didn’t belong. Why they looked at me and immediately shouted like I didn’t deserve to be there. But in that moment, I was too stunned to speak. @Emirates tell your staff to do better. Profiling has no place in customer service!!! #emirates #storytime #emiratesbusinessclass ♬ original sound – Fafa A.
The Mary Sue has reached out to Fafa via email and Emirates for comment.
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