Sometimes, our regulators take themselves too seriously. They need to lighten up. Jet Airways suspending its cabin crew after they allowed Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam take over the aircraft cabin PA system is a case in point.
The incident happened on 4 January, when the singer was traveling from Jodhpur to Mumbai. When co-passengers urged him to sing for them, Nigam obliged. He took over the mic of the cabin PA system and belted out a couple of hits . Thus, what would have otherwise been a boring flight was turned into an impromptu music concert that everyone enjoyed.
The videos of his performance went viral, but the stodgy blokes at the DGCA were neither amused nor entertained. According to the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on training and licensing of cabin crew, issued by the DGCA in 2010, “the PA (public address) system and interphone system are tools for relaying safety information.” The regulator demanded action against the erring cabin crew and Jet Airways responded on Friday by suspending all five members of the cabin crew and sending them for “re-training”.
Sonu Nigam expressed shock over the suspension and called it intolerance. He said in a statement, “I have witnessed an elaborate fashion show in an aircraft. I have heard of small concerts happening in an aircraft. I have seen pilots and crew members cracking humorous jokes to loosen up passengers in other countries, which is so cool. To suspend crew members for asking me to sing on the address system, when the seat belt signs were off, and no announcements were to be made, is nothing less than punishing someone for spreading happiness.”
He concluded, “Indians, need to loosen up. This act of lack of common sense, according to me, is real intolerance.”
Well said.
06/02/16 MA Deviah/First Post
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The incident happened on 4 January, when the singer was traveling from Jodhpur to Mumbai. When co-passengers urged him to sing for them, Nigam obliged. He took over the mic of the cabin PA system and belted out a couple of hits . Thus, what would have otherwise been a boring flight was turned into an impromptu music concert that everyone enjoyed.
The videos of his performance went viral, but the stodgy blokes at the DGCA were neither amused nor entertained. According to the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on training and licensing of cabin crew, issued by the DGCA in 2010, “the PA (public address) system and interphone system are tools for relaying safety information.” The regulator demanded action against the erring cabin crew and Jet Airways responded on Friday by suspending all five members of the cabin crew and sending them for “re-training”.
Sonu Nigam expressed shock over the suspension and called it intolerance. He said in a statement, “I have witnessed an elaborate fashion show in an aircraft. I have heard of small concerts happening in an aircraft. I have seen pilots and crew members cracking humorous jokes to loosen up passengers in other countries, which is so cool. To suspend crew members for asking me to sing on the address system, when the seat belt signs were off, and no announcements were to be made, is nothing less than punishing someone for spreading happiness.”
He concluded, “Indians, need to loosen up. This act of lack of common sense, according to me, is real intolerance.”
Well said.
06/02/16 MA Deviah/First Post
