"Not your servant...": IndiGo crew in a verbal spat with passenger on-board

New Delhi: After a video of a heated argument between a passenger and an air hostess in Indigo's Delhi-bound international flight went viral on social media, the airline on Wednesday stated that it is 'cognizant' of the needs of its customers and that it was looking into the incident.

In a viral video, the crew member could be seen telling a passenger who is not visible in the video not to shout. "You pointed a finger at me and you are yelling at me. My crew is crying because of you, please try to understand that there is a cart, there are counters uplifted. We can always serve what you want," she could be heard saying in the video.

The man is heard shouting, "Why are you yelling" and the crew member also gives a stern reply while saying, "Because you are yelling at us".

"No, I am so sorry Sir. You cannot talk to the crew like that. I am peacefully listening to you with all due respect. But you have to respect the crew as well," she was heard saying in the video.

The crew member said, "I am sorry, you cannot talk to me like that. I am also an employee here. Your boarding pass shows...Yes, I am an employee. I am not your servant."

IndiGo, after the video went viral on social media on Wednesday issued a statement. "We are aware of the incident that took place on flight 6E 12 from Istanbul to Delhi on December 16, 2022," it said.

The airline said that the issue was related to meals chosen by certain passengers travelling via a codeshare connection.

"We are looking into the incident and would like to assure that customers' comfort has always been our top priority. We are committed to providing the best experience at all times," the statement added.

"IndiGo is cognizant of the needs of its customers and it is our constant endeavour to provide a courteous and hassle-free experience to our customers," the airline said in its statement.

Jet Airways CEO backs air hostess

Reacting to a viral video of the incident, CEO of Jet Airway Sanjiv Kapoor posted the video on his Twitter handle along with a similar incident he experienced in the past.

He expressed sympathy for the flight attendant and described how rowdy passengers may make the cabin crew lose faith in themselves.

“As I had said earlier, crew are human too. It must have taken a lot to get her to breaking point. Over the years, I have seen crew slapped and abused on board flights, called 'servant' and worse. Hope she is fine despite the pressure she must be under,” Kapoor wrote.

He also shared a horrific incident with a passenger who slapped a 19-year-old member of the cabin crew in another tweet.

"I recall an incident some years ago where a new crew, just 19 years old, was slapped by a pax because his meal choice was not on board. I met her the same day, she was inconsolable and said this is not what she signed up for. She quit flying the same day," he said.

He stressed that it is never acceptable to verbally or physically abuse a cabin crew or to demean them in any way.

“At that time there was no unruly pax policy in India. This was one of the incidents that led to that to be introduced eventually. As I have always said, the customer is always right... until he (or she) is wrong. Physical or verbal abuse or humiliation is NEVER acceptable,” he added.