Parliamentary panel raps airlines for ‘rude’ conduct
IN ITS REPORT, THE HOUSE PANEL SINGLES OUT INDIGO AIRLINES FOR ITS STAFF’S ‘MISBEHAVIOUR’
NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over the ‘rude’ behaviour of domestic airlines’ employees towards passengers, a parliamentary panel said in a report that air carriers should train their staff in soft skills in order to improve ‘consumer satisfaction’.
In its draft report titled ‘Issues Related to Improving Consumers’ Satisfaction of Airlines’, the panel on transport, tourism and culture singled out Indigo airlines for its employees’ ‘misbehaviour’. The airline has been shrouded in a controversy after its staff manhandled a passenger last year.
“While narrating some of the incidents of misbehaviour in airlines, especially in Indigo, majority of the members opined that the attitude of airlines’ staff is very condescending, often uncooperative and on many occasions, downright rude,” the report said.
The parliamentary panel has asked the government to frame a standardised training programme “suitable to Indian conditions, emphasising courteous behaviour to the passengers”.
India’s civil aviation sector has witnessed a boom in terms of passenger growth but it has been accompanied by a rise in complaints related to customer service, flight cancellation and delays.
Sources said the panel, headed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O’brien, also took note of the incident in which an Indigo ground staff manhandled a passenger at the Delhi airport in October. The airline later apologised to the flyer and explained its employee’s actions to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), country’s aviation regulatory body.
When contacted, Indigo declined to comment on the House panel’s report.
India’s aviation sector has seen a double digit growth for over three years. Among the domestic airlines, Indigo has dominated Indian skies. It enjoyed a market share of 39.5% in November followed by Jet Airways at 17.4%, Air India at 13.5%, Spicejet at 12.6% and Goair at 8.9%.
The panel’s draft report, to be presented in Parliament during the winter session, said the “problems affecting airlines are not personal but institutional”.