Upgrade: Two Air India cabin crew grounded

While Air India employees have to travel economy class under the company's austerity drive, relatives of employees are entitled to upgrades.
Two cabin crew members learnt this the hard way when they were grounded on September 19 for sending a passenger back to the economy class after she was upgraded to executive class without their knowledge.
The airline, however, claimed that Anita Shashidhar, cabin in-charge, and Ramanand Gawand, (Names changed) a senior purser with 25 years of service, were grounded for rude behaviour.
Air India cabin crew allege that the passenger in question was a relative of one of the executive directors and daughter of a member of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
On September 13, she was upgraded on the Frankfurt-Chicago leg of Air India's Delhi-Frankfurt-Chicago flight AI 127.
"Since the numbers in the manifest did not tally, Ramanand Gawand asked the passenger to go back to economy class." The passenger refused. So Gawand informed Shashidhar, who reported the matter to the pilot. The pilot told Shashidhar to send the passenger back to economy class.
09/10/09 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Air India - International Oct 2009, Foreign Oct 2009, NACIL Oct 2009