21 August,2024 07:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Prasun Choudhari
Crew members proceeded with their flight duties despite the harrowing incident. Representation Pic
Following the Air India incident at London Heathrow, the cabin crew community has started speaking up about similar incidents faced by them. The Air India Incident has become a catalyst for other cabin crew members to open up about the times they faced similar incidents.
On April 13 during a routine layover, a Vistara cabin crew staying at a Jaipur hotel reported that their room phones were ringing incessantly from 3.00 am to 5.30 am, disrupting their much-needed rest. In addition to the phone calls, there were reports of knocking on doors in several rooms. The disturbances were promptly reported to the airline management which demanded the rooms of the crew members be changed.
The situation escalated the following night. On April 14, at approximately 2.15 am, all cabin crew members' room phones began ringing again. The calls were answered by the cabin crew members but no one was speaking on the other end. The calls were accompanied by more knocking on doors.
Video evidence captured by the crew during the incident shows the unsettling nature of these disturbances. In the video captured by the crew which was sent to mid-day, continuous knocking on the room door was heard. The same video was also sent to Vistara management by a cabin crew member.
ALSO READ
Air India posts 60 pc fall in losses at Rs 4,444 cr in FY24: Tata Group
Virgin Atlantic to start second daily Mumbai-London flight
Air India plane makes precautionary landing at Moscow; later takes off for Brimingham
Air India's Delhi-Vizag flight receives hoax bomb threat
Air India's Delhi-Vizag flight receives hoax bomb threat
Concerned crew members reached out to their supervisor, who went to the reception to file a complaint. The disturbance continued to affect the crew, who were forced to wait in the lobby until 4.15 am. Despite the distress, the crew chose to proceed with their flight duties without delay, understanding that no replacement crew was available.
An email sent by the cabin crew member to Vistara read, "At around 0215 in the morning all cabin crew room telephones started ringing again and when answered there was no response from the other side. Again there was knocking on the door heard by one of the crew members which is recorded in the video. The whole incident was uncomfortable and scared the cabin crew members. When no help and resolution was offered from the hotel, CCIC (chief cabin crew) called me at 0230 at night to get my attention and help."
"I immediately rushed as she sounded concerned and scared and we stepped down together to reception to raise the complaint. Meanwhile, I called the only male cabin crew member and asked him if the same was happening with him. He confirmed that his phone was also ringing and he unhooked the phone. He proactively checked on other female crew members. When contacted, other crew confirmed the same was happening in their rooms. One of the crew sounded scared as there was constant knocking on her door. The male cabin crew then rushed to her room and got her out of the room and they both came to reception," the email read.
"Rest was hampered for the four of us and we were in the lobby till 0415 in the morning. The OCC team and DMP both acknowledged our concern. Once the crew members calmed down we discussed if we could go ahead with the flight or if they needed some delay as our rest was hampered. Cabin crew members acted very professionally and agreed to operate the flight without delay as they understood there was no replacement crew available in Jaipur. On our request and suggestion, the OCC team also proactively helped us by making sure that the entire cabin crew sat down at the Bombay base and went home to get rest after Jaipur Bombay sector and made changes to their roster. The hotel offered a different room on a different floor to both the female crew members to get ready for the flight while I offered my room to the male cabin crew who had to get ready for a flight" the email read.
A Vistara spokesperson also confirmed that such an incident had happened on the said dates and an immediate issue was raised by the cabin crew to the airline about the same after which, the airline checked with the hotel management and demanded to check the CCTV footage. When mid-day contacted the hotel where the incident happened, the manager of the hotel said, "We are not sharing any part of our internal investigation with the press." Meanwhile, a source from the same hotel shared that the CCTV footage of the incident was checked but the source was not sure as to what was seen in the CCTV footage as the source was not allowed to view the same.
"We had received a complaint, in April 2024, about a reputed hotel in Jaipur where our crew was staying on their layover. Taking immediate action, we investigated and addressed the same along with the hotel management, and there have been no further complaints ever since. At Vistara, the safety of all our employees is of utmost importance, and we continuously monitor security measures and overall upkeep of all the hotels used for staff accommodation," said Vistara Spokesperson in an official statement to a query sent by Mid-Day.
