A day after a video showing a heated exchange between an IndiGo crew member and a passenger went viral and sparked a flurry of reactions on social media, Jet CEO Sanjiv Kapoor said that the flyers in the video "would not have dared to raise their voice against a foreign airline."
In conversation with Moneycontrol, the Jet CEO said that airline crew are trained thoroughly to handle situations like these, but it's the flyers who should be mindful of their behaviour.
"There is a segment of passengers who feel that if they have bought a ticket, they own the airline, the aircraft, and the crew... They would not have dared to raise their voice against a foreign airline," he said.
"With Indian airlines, they think it's fair game to insult, humiliate, taunt, and mock the crew... so I think some introspection is required among this kind of passengers on their own approach to life and to professionals who are there to serve you."
Sanjiv Kapoor's comments came hours after he defended the IndiGo crew on social media asserting that a trained senior professional like her must have endured a lot to have snapped like that.
"As I had said earlier, crew are human too. It must have taken a lot to get her to breaking point," he tweeted. "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."
The altercation appeared to have started over the passengers' food options.
"My crew is crying because of you," the IndiGo air hostess is heard telling the passenger in the clip. The passenger is also heard telling her, "You are a servant of a passenger", to which she responded, "I am an employee and not your servant… I am not your servant."
At one point, the passenger said "why are you yelling? Shut up" to the air hostess, who also asks the former to "shut up", according to the nearly one-minute-long clip that was apparently shot by a passenger.
Read more: Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor on IndiGo flight incident: ‘I have seen crew…'
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