Thiruvananthapuram:

In a heartbreaking incident, a woman, whose husband was in a hospital ICU in Oman, was unable to see him one last time before he died there due to the cancellation of her Air India Express flight to that country last week, her family alleged.

The woman, Amrita, had booked tickets for May 8 to see her husband in Muscat, but on reaching the airport in Thiruvananthapuram, she was told that the flight was cancelled.

Her protest at the airport earned her a ticket for the next day on another Air India Express flight, but unfortunately, that too was cancelled and she had to abandon her travel plans altogether.

On Monday, news of her husband’s death reached her from Oman.

“It was so unfair that she could not see him for one last time. We begged the airline to accommodate us on some other flight so that we could see him for one last time. But they did not do anything,” Amrita’s mother told a TV channel.

She also said that Amrita’s husband had said that he wanted to see his wife and kids and that is why they had booked tickets to go see him.

Amrita, who later spoke to reporters, said that after the second flight was also cancelled, the airline told her nothing could be done.

“They said their flights for the next four days were full and they cannot do anything,” she said.

Her husband was hospitalised following a massive heart attack. “I spoke to him over the phone. Told him I will try to reach there if I can,” she said.

There was no immediate comment from the airline.

Air India Express had cancelled “scores of flights” last week due to a shortage of cabin crew members as a section of them reported sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the Tata Group-owned airline.

Discontent has been brewing among a section of the cabin crew at the low-cost carrier for some time now, especially after the start of the process of merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself.

Later, on May 10, the strike by a section of the cabin crew was called off and the airline also withdrew termination letters issued to 25 striking cabin crew.

From May 8 to May 10, Air India Express had to cancel over 260 flights due to cabin crew shortage, an airline source had said.

The airline on May 12 had said that it was slowly restoring its flights and stabilising the network and that full normalcy was expected by Tuesday. The same day, the cabin crew union had said that all members who had reported sick had joined duty by May 11.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Air India and other planes parked at the airport in Mumbai on May 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Air India Express has agreed to reinstate 25 cabin crew who were terminated after a large number of them reported “sick” since May 6, while the flight crew have agreed to report to duty following a meeting mediated by the Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) in New Delhi on May 9.

The representatives of the airline management have also assured that all the issues raised by the cabin crew pertaining to alleged discrimination emanating from the merger with erstwhile AirAsia India and removal of allowances will be resolved. The CLC will hold another meeting on May 28 on the matter.

On the third day of the protest on “leave”, Air India Express was forced to cancel 85 flights across its network. Another Tata Group airline Air India supported it by operating flights on 20 of its routes, according to a media statement issued by Air India Express.

The CLC called a conciliation meeting after over 200 cabin crew at Air India Express started reporting “sick” from May 6 resulting in flight disruptions.

In one of the letters addressed to a cabin crew late on May 8 informing him of his immediate termination, the airline said, “Your act of reporting sick for work amounts to a concerted action with a common understanding to not operate the flight and disrupt services of the company. This is not only in violation of the applicable laws but also violates the Air India Express Limited Employees’ Service Rules.”

The Air India Express cabin crew are unhappy over “preferential treatment” for employees of the erstwhile AirAsia India resulting in certain postings granted to the latter. They also complained about unfair contractual terms which offered Air India Express an employment of one or five years, while those from AirAsia India could remain employed till they turned 58 years. They also rued removal of certain allowances including, House Rent Allowance, Dearness Allowance, among others. Air India and its low-cost international airline Air India Express were privatised in 2022 and handed over to Tata Sons. The conglomerate already owned Vistara and AirAsia India and decided to carve out two airlines of the total four it now owned by merging Air India and Vistara as well as Air India Express with AirAsia India.

Air India Express plane.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Air India Express has issued termination letters to around 25 cabin crew members who reported sick that led to the cancellation of more than 90 flights, airline sources said on May 9.

The Tata Group-owned airline has also given an ultimatum to the remaining cabin crew members reporting sick to join back duty by 4 p.m. on May 9 or face termination, they added.

Air India Express has also cancelled at least 60 flights for May 9 due to the non-availability of cabin crew, the sources said and added that mass leaves by a section of the cabin crew have caused immense inconvenience to passengers.

There are around 1,400 cabin crew, including about 500 at the senior level, at the airline.

Over 200 cabin crew started reporting sick from Tuesday night to protest against alleged mismanagement at the airline that caused the cancellation of over 90 flights.

New Delhi:

Air India Express sources today said that the airline does not recognise any workers’ union amidst protests from employees who are opposing a new merit-based assessment system. This system, part of a broader performance appreciation policy, aims to streamline operations and effectively handle cancelled flights. However, it has sparked discontent among employees, particularly the cabin crew. The latest development comes after 86 flights were cancelled today due to a mass sick leave taken by cabin crew members, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

The sudden cancellations and delays, affecting both international and domestic flights, came as about 300 senior cabin crew members reported sick at the last minute, prompting the airline to scramble to address the situation. Passengers caught unaware, expressed their frustration on social media platforms, alleging lack of information regarding flight cancellations.

According to sources within Air India Express, the root cause of the protests lies in the discontent among cabin crew members regarding the new performance appreciation policy and alleged discrepancies in treatment following the merger with Tata Group. The crew alleges that certain staff members were unfairly offered lower job positions despite clearing interviews, leading to feelings of inequality and resentment within the workforce.

“A section of our cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result,” an Air India Express spokesperson said.

“We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide. Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date.

“Guests flying with us today are requested to check if their flight is affected, before heading to the airport.”

According to sources, the Civil Aviation Ministry has asked Air India Express for a report on flight cancellations. 

The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), representing a significant portion of the cabin crew, has accused the airline of mismanagement and a lack of equality in staff treatment. This disruption comes at a critical time for Air India Express, as the airline is in the process of merging with AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) and faces challenges in streamlining operations and catering to the increased demand.

Over 70 Air India Express flights were canceled on Wednesday after the cabin crew members went on a “mass sick leave”, official sources said.

As many as 79 international and domestic flights were canceled after about 300 senior cabin crew members reported sick at the last minute and switched off their mobile phones.

The Air India Express management is currently trying to reach out to the crew, who are protesting against the new employment term at the Tata Group-owned airline, sources said.

“A section of our cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result,” an Air India Express spokesperson said.

“We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide,” the spokesperson added.

Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date, the airline said.

Several passengers took to their social media accounts and complained about the sudden cancellations of their flights. They said that they had “no information” about the cancellations.

Some “very disappointed” passengers on X said that they had reached the airport when they were informed that their flights were canceled.

 “We apologise for any inconvenience. Please be informed that your flight has been canceled due to operational reasons,” Air India Express said in response to one of the posts on X.

Last month, a union representing a section of the Air India Express cabin crew alleged that the airline was being mismanaged and there was a lack of equality in the treatment of the staff.

Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), a registered union, had also alleged that mismanagement of the affairs has affected the morale of the employees.