While Air India employees have to travel economy class under the company’s austerity drive, relatives of employees are entitled to upgrades.
While Air India employees have to travel economy class under the company’s austerity drive, relatives of employees are entitled to upgrades.
Two cabin crew members learnt this the hard way when they were grounded on September 19 for sending a passenger back to the economy class after she was upgraded to executive class without their knowledge.
The airline, however, claimed that Anita Shashidhar*, cabin in-charge, and Ramanand Gawand*, a senior purser with 25 years of service, were grounded for rude behaviour.
Air India cabin crew allege that the passenger in question was a relative of one of the executive directors and daughter of a member of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
On September 13, she was upgraded on the Frankfurt-Chicago leg of Air India’s Delhi-Frankfurt-Chicago flight AI 127. “While going through the passenger manifest, Gawand found an extra passenger in the executive class,” said a member of the cabin crew association. Her seat number had been struck off and ‘executive seat’ written on it.
“Since the numbers in the manifest did not tally, he asked the passenger to go back to economy class.” The passenger refused. So Gawand informed Shashidhar, who reported the matter to the pilot. The pilot told Shashidhar to send the passenger back to economy class. On return to India, Gawand and Shashidhar learnt that they had been grounded.
Air India spokesperson Jitendra Bhargava confirmed the grounding of the staff. “The passenger in question was upgraded by the airline,” he said. “As all seats were full on the Delhi-Frankfurt sector, she travelled economy class to Frankfurt. At Frankfurt, as a seat was available in the business class, her boarding card was amended and she was seated in business class for travel to Chicago. But the crew members did not accept the amended boarding card and sent her back to economy class, embarrassing the organisation.”
Asked why employees have to travel economy class while their kin can get upgrades, Bhargava said paying passengers bring in revenue.
*Names changed on request
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}