An Australian woman who sued Emirates in the Victoria Supreme Court has lost her legal battle with the Dubai-based airline. Linda Di Falco had alleged cabin crew had refused to serve her water during a flight between Melbourne and Dubai in 2015.
The 54-year old claimed the lack of water led to dehydration that resulted in her fainting in the aisle as she sought to get help. Di Falco said the fall resulted in a severe ankle injury that still causes her chronic pain and ultimately led to the breakdown of her marriage.
Emirates had been sued for damages with Di Falco alleging that cabin crew had ignored their duty of care. But in an 18-page judgement, the Victoria Supreme Court has today dismissed Di Falco’s claim.
“I find as a fact that nothing unusual or unexpected occurred on the flight,” the judgement read, going on to say that the cabin crew had acted in accordance with Emirates’ policies.
It was, however, admitted that the lack of water may well have led to some dehydration happening.
“The evidence of both cabin staff acknowledged that there were occasions where they did not have the capacity to deal with a request immediately and the response was to defer the provision of water,” another part of the judgement read.
Cabin crew gave evidence at the trial, saying they had served Di Falco at the earliest opportunity and provided First Aid as soon as she fell.
