IndiGo row: Crew member misbehaves, yells ‘SHUT UP’ at passenger

A video of a heated argument between a crew member and a passenger has gone viral on social media

NEW DELHI | Updated: 22 December, 2022 6:42 pm IST

A video of an altercation between a passenger and one of the crew members of IndiGo airline has gone viral on social media.

The purported video shows a heated argument between the crew member and a passenger (not seen in the video). The crew member accuses the passenger of talking to the staff harshly, which made one of them cry.

As per reports, the incident took place on a flight bound for Delhi from Istanbul.

The crew member tells the man, “You are pointing your finger at me and yelling at me. My crew is crying because of you. Please try to understand, there is a cart and counted meals are uplifted (on the plane). We can only serve what your boarding…”

But before she completes her sentence, the passenger shoots back, “Why are you yelling?” “Because you are yelling at us,” the crew member replies, raising her voice.

Her colleague intervenes and tries to calm them down, but the passenger and the crew member keep firing shots at each other.

“I am sorry, but 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 is seen telling the passenger.

The man asks, “Where have I disrespected the crew?” to which she again highlights the finger-pointing. “Shut up,” the man says. “You shut up!!” the crew member shouts back, adding that she is an employee of the company and he cannot talk to her like that.

The man then exclaims that she is a servant, to which she again clarifies that she is an employee. “I am not your servant,” she said.

The fight then ends abruptly and a colleague escorts the angry crew member to the back of the plane.

After the video became viral, IndiGo issued a statement: “We are aware of the incident that took place on flight 6E 12 from Istanbul to Delhi on December 16, 2022.”

“The issue was related to meals chosen by certain passengers travelling via a codeshare connection. 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,” it said.

“We are looking into the incident and would like to assure you that customers’ comfort has always been our top priority. We are committed to providing the best experience at all times,” the airline added.

This is not the first time the low-cost carrier has drawn citizens’ ire over the mistreatment of passengers.

In October 2022, the staff of Indian airlines IndiGo behaved in a boorish manner with the ace Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj. They even asked for a “hefty amount” for the excess baggage which contained medals won by the athlete, he alleged.

“I was returning from the National Games held in Gujarat, and the staff not only behaved badly but also charged us a hefty amount for excess baggage, which was the medals and goodies that we athletes had won,” the 21-year-old posted on Twitter.

The swimmer also clarified that the additional amount wasn’t an issue for him, but he was miffed by the shoddy treatment meted out to him by the IndiGo staff.

In a similar incident, an Indian para swimmer too had to face gross disrespect on behalf of IndiGo airlines. Para swimmer Shams Aalam took to Twitter to express his unhappiness over the treatment meted out to him by Air India staff at New Delhi airport. The 35-year-old had represented India at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

“Dear Air India, I landed with AI 309 at 5 pm at Delhi Airport. I am a wheelchair user and I informed the cabin crew that I needed my wheelchair at the gate. After an hour, I am still waiting and have not received my personal wheelchair. I need to use the restroom, and no one is supporting me,” he wrote in a tweet.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) fined IndiGo ₹5 lakh in May this year for denying boarding to a boy with special needs who had permission to fly.

The DGCA in a statement said, “In the case involving a special child with reduced mobility, who along with the other family members were denied boarding at Ranchi Airport on May 7, 2022, an enquiry was conducted by DGCA and based on the findings during the enquiry, a show cause notice was issued to Indigo Airline through its authorized representative.”

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