‘Reads like legal-speak to me’: Netizens come out in support of IndiGo air hostess who fought with passenger 

Netizens and industry leaders alike have spoken out in favour of the IndiGo air hostess who argued with a passenger on board the Istanbul-Delhi flight. The video, shot by a co-passenger, went viral on social media. Influencer Ankur Warikoo, Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor, author of Sing, Dance and Pray: The Inspirational Story of Srila Prabhupada Founder- Acharya of ISCKON Hindol Sengupta and Vice President of Special Projects at Testbook Ravi Sutanjani were among the few Twitter users to react on the incident. Activist and documentary filmmaker Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, known for her film Martyrs of Marriage, also gave her two cents on the incident.

Founder and CEO of nearbuy.com and social media influencer Ankur Warikoo said in a recent tweet that he is disappointed with the reaction of IndiGo to the incident between an air hostess and a passenger on an Istanbul-Delhi flight. Warikoo further noted that IndiGo’s statement “reads like a legal-speak” to him instead while adding the best companies do not take the popular stand. 

The social media influencer tweeted, “So disappointed with the first reaction of IndiGo on the flight attendant/passenger exchange. Forget taking a stand, it reads like a legal-speak to me, trying to cover itself up. The best companies take a stand. Not a popular stand. The one they stand for!”

Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor said, “As I had said earlier, the crew are human too. It must have taken a lot to get her to breaking point. Over the years I have seen crew slapped and abused on board flights, called “servant” and worse. Hope she is fine despite the pressure she must be under.”

Kapoor also reprimanded a social media user for saying that there is no issue with the usage of the word servant for the IndiGo air hostess. The aviation industry veteran wrote, “You, sir, are then part of the problem. As any reasonable person would agree, the use of the word “servant” and its implications depend on the context in which it is used, **especially in India**. Justifying such usage with the crew in the context it was used, is simply unacceptable.”

Hindol Sengupta called many passengers on flights “entitled, obnoxious boors” and voiced his support for the air hostess. Sengupta tweeted, “In the IndiGo fiasco, I am with the air hostess and her crew. She is right. Many Indian travellers on flights are entitled, obnoxious boors. They have no courtesy and no sense of public decorum. They eat like pigs, treat care badly and insist on playing videos loudly. Foul.” 

Ravi Sutanjani shared the video of the incident and wrote, “Shut up, you can’t talk to me like that. Yes, I’m an employee and not your servant. More power to this IndiGo crew.”

Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj tweeted, “Full support to the woman here. People who think air hostesses are servants should perhaps take their own servants on flights to serve them because an air hostess is not a servant. IndiGo should stand by its crew.”

In this video, an IndiGo air hostess can be seen confronting a flyer who shouts at her and allegedly calls her a servant. The air hostess told the male passenger that he is pointing a finger at her and yelling while adding that her crew is crying because of the passenger’s behaviour. She then tells the passenger that there is a cart and counted meals are lifted. 

The air hostess firmly tells the passenger, “I am sorry but you cannot talk to the crew like that.” She further says she has been listening to the passenger respectfully and that he must respect the crew as well. The mid-air scuffle escalates to a boiling point when the air hostess tells the passenger to not to her rudely and that she is an employee there. 

Also read: Viral Mid-Air Scuffle: Why Did Indigo Air Hostess Yell At Passenger?

The passenger quips and calls the air hostess a servant. “I am an employee. I am not your servant,” the air hostess responds. Later, her colleague takes her away from the passenger and the fight is over. According to the airline’s statement, the scuffle between the air hostess and the male passenger took place due to an issue with the meals served on board. 

After the incident garnered traction on social media, the carrier said in its statement that they are aware of this particular incident which took place enroute an Istanbul-Delhi flight on December 16. The issue was related to meals chosen by the passenger in question travelling via codeshare connection. 

The airline further said, “IndiGo is cognisant of the needs of its customers and it is our constant endeavour to provide a courteous and hassle-free experience to our customers. We are looking into the incident and would like to assure that customers’ comfort has always been our top priority.”

Also read: 'Am an employee, not your servant': Angry IndiGo air hostess gives it back to passenger yelling at her

Also read: 'Must have taken a lot to get her to breaking point': Jet CEO supports IndiGo air hostess after fight with passenger