A UK citizen has been sentenced to three months in jail in Dubai after “insulting” airport staff who were slow to bring his mother a wheelchair.

The unnamed man was originally issued a Dh 10,000 (£2,150) fine, but his appeal against this failed and his punishment was extended to a jail term on 6 November.

An airport employee told the court that the man swore at her after she had explained the airport’s wheelchair policy to him, telling him that “a wheelchair would be made available before boarding the bus”.

“When I tried to explain it to him, he insulted me using very bad language. I told the traveller that using such offensive language is not allowed at Dubai airport but he responded that he didn’t care.”

The employee then called the police, and a case was filed against the man in Dubai’s Criminal Court. Following an appeal, which he lost, the fine was escalated into a jail sentence, followed by immediate deportation.

  • nicetriangle@kbin.social
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    6 months ago

    Have you never been to a busy bar, concert, restaurant, music festival, street fair, or sporting event before? Hell I’d say I’ve waited in line at an airport almost every other time I travel. When a big flight lands, the nearest bathroom often gets slammed. I’ve experienced this across the US and Europe.

    I’m shocked anyone’s made it through life without queuing for the bathroom more than once.

    • lovesickoyster@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Honestly, nope, never, except that one time. There are usually enough urinals or if I had to wait it was a minute max.

      In my case at dubai airport at that time that specific terminal only had one restroom with two urinals, and there was a double queue from the urinals to the outside of the restrom, probably about 30 people long. It did not get any shorter for the hour and a half I was there - I waited.

      • nicetriangle@kbin.social
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        6 months ago

        Ok yeah that’s exceptionally bad. Surprising with how much money that country seems to like to blow on everything. Form over function I guess.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Really? The terminal I did a layover in was super modern, bathrooms included. I wonder if you came in a different one?

        • lovesickoyster@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Possibly. It has been like 10 years ago since I last flew through dubai though, so things might have changed.