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'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew controversy, who is at fault?

A person familiar with the matter said the incident was triggered by the passenger who had previously booked a sandwich not wanting to eat the cold sandwich on a 6.5-hour flight and demanded that his meal be changed.

By Ground report 22 Dec 2022

New Update

Indigo flight crew viral video I am not your servant

A video showing a heated exchange between an IndiGo crew member and a passenger has gone viral on social media. The crew member is heard saying, "I'm an employee, I'm not his servant" in the clip.

Videos of the heated 6E-12, December 16 conversation suggest a passenger first spoke to a flight attendant (perhaps, the one serving meals as pre-booked or purchased on the flight) in a manner that left the member of staff in tears the cabin crew.

The fight was over a meal, that's what we know till now.

IndiGo crew members and passenger fight

Tempers soaring even mid-air: "I am not your servant"

An @IndiGo6E crew and a passenger on an Istanbul flight to Delhi (a route which is being expanded soon with bigger planes in alliance with @TurkishAirlines ) on 16th December : pic.twitter.com/ZgaYcJ7vGv
— Tarun Shukla (@shukla_tarun) December 21, 2022

In the viral video, the crew member is seen sitting on the floor and talking to the passenger, she tells him: “You pointed your finger at me and you are yelling at me. My crew is crying because of you, please try to understand that there is a cart, there are raised counters. We can always serve whatever you want.” The man is heard asking dryly, "Why are you yelling?" and the crew member reiterates his position, bursting out: "Because you yelled at us."

She stands up and adds, “No, I am so sorry Sir. You cannot talk to the crew like that. I am peacefully listening to you with all due respect. But you have to respect the crew as well.” The exchange of words gets heated and both of them are heard shouting. The crew member further says, “I am sorry, you cannot talk to me like that. I am also an employee here. Your boarding pass shows. Yes, I am an employee. I am not your servant.”

The man asks: "Where have I disrespected the crew?" to which the stewardess once again highlights pointing with her finger. "Shut up," says the man. "You shut up," the flight attendant replies and adds that she is an employee of the company and that he cannot speak to her like that.

The man then says that she is a servant, to which she again clarifies that she is an employee. "I am not your servant."

"Crew are human too", Jet Airways CEO

I recall an incident some years ago where a new crew, just 19 years old, was slapped by a pax because his meal choice was not on board. I met her the same day, she was inconsolable and said this is not what she signed up for. She quit flying the same day.
(cont'd next tweet)
— Sanjiv Kapoor (@TheSanjivKapoor) December 21, 2022

Sanjiv Kapoor, Jet Airways CEO on Twitter, Kapoor wrote, “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.”

“I recall an incident some years ago where a new crew, just 19 years old, was slapped by a pax because his meal choice was not on board. I met her the same day, and she was inconsolable and said this is not what she signed up for. She quit flying the same day," Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor said on Twitter.

They further wrote "At that time there was no unruly pax policy in India. This was one of the incidents that led to that being introduced eventually. As I have always said, the customer is always right… until they is wrong. Physical or verbal abuse or humiliation is NEVER acceptable."

IndiGo issued statement

Meanwhile, IndiGo issued a statement:

"We are aware of the incident that took place on flight 6E 12 from Istanbul to Delhi on December 16, 2022. The issue was related to the meals chosen by certain passengers travelling via a codeshare connection. IndiGo is aware of the needs of its customers and it is our constant effort to provide a courteous and hassle-free experience to our customers. We are investigating the incident and would like to ensure that customer comfort has always been our priority. top priority, we are committed to providing the best experience every time.”

Conclusion

The internet has a polarising view, as expected. Although, here it is hard to judge who is at fault which is a limited clip. It is not okay to shout at anyone, regardless. Anyone in the service is not your servant. That is a fact, but, somehow people tend to think that.

Furthermore, there is this trial on the internet talking about how would this event been taken if a male crew member would have said so. Something to ponder about maybe.