A flash strike by the union workers of Air India and Indian Airlines left stranded passengers fuming in Delhi. The passengers had a hard time seeking clarification from the airlines counters for their respective flights and complained of harassment.
However, the union representatives maintained that their strike would be indefinite.
The cabin crew representative, Kamal said that shortage of staff is jeopardising the safety of passengers and recruitment should immediately take place. “Even our salary is delayed from seven days to 15 days, while we do not get pension after retirement,” he said stating the reasons for going on strike. He also showed a copy of the official memo barring them from speaking to the media.
The passengers were clueless and complained that there were no officials from the airlines to solve their woes. 28-year-old Akshay Dhar had a hard time getting information about his flight to Mumbai from where he had to take a connecting flight to Chicago.
“I am going to claim Rs 3 lakhs as insurance compensation for the cancellation of my flight. I am not being given refund against my ticket and in place I am being asked to contact my agent, while I had done Internet booking through credit card,” said Mr Dhar.
Another passenger, Amit Jha, whose flight to Patna was cancelled, said that he had not been informed about the cancellation by the airlines. “It is completely chaotic. You can see there is no one at the counters to help us out. I am stuck here for two hours but no alternative arrangement has been made for me to reach my destination,” Mr Jha added.
Rohit Singh, a Patna-bound passenger, was fuming after he was told to book ticket for other airlines when he asked for an alternative arrangement.