Vistara pilots' en masse protest leads to delays, cancellations. Angry passengers slam airline

Irate passengers, stranded at airports for hours, took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the airline co-owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines.

Former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai slammed Vistara for its “terrible service” on Monday slamming the airline for "no announcements" or clarity.
One X user recounted how the pilot walked away even after boarding was complete after significant delays on a Bengaluru-Mumbai flight on Monday.
Another user wrote: “Thanks to Air Vistara, T2 of Bengaluru Airport has become a railway platform. Almost every flight delayed or cancelled. No airline employee at the counters. Customer care down for technical reasons says their message.”
A third passenger wrote that he was accommodated on an Air India flight, after a nine-hour delay. “No facilities to passengers for the delay, no airline staff after security check. Customer care doesn't work,” the passenger wrote. Vistara also commented they have also authorised a full refund.
Reports indicate that Vistara pilots are up in arms over a revised salary structure, a contentious issue linked to the impending merger with Air India. The pilots, it seems, are not taking this development lying down. They've staged a mass sick leave protest, a bold move in response to the airline's attempts to implement the new pay scheme.

The situation escalated when Vistara, in an email to its pilots, laid down the ultimatum: sign the dotted line or risk exclusion from the merger process and associated benefits.

Unsurprisingly, this ultimatum sparked a wave of discontent among the pilots, leading to a surge in sick leave requests and subsequent flight disruptions. Vistara, meanwhile, is scrambling to contain the fallout, with promises of operational adjustments and apologies to placate the aggrieved passengers.

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With flight schedules thrown into disarray, passengers caught in the crossfire are left grappling with uncertainty and inconvenience. The airline, in a bid to salvage the situation, advises passengers to verify their flight status before heading to the airport.