Since yesterday there is so much written about Indigo’s manhandling of it’s passenger Mr. Rajiv Katial who flew from Chennai to Delhi on flight number 6E 487. Apart from the video going viral and media spending hours of airtime and expensive print space, social media is filled with personal views of people who are reacting to the video.
I see a lot of mixed views coming in as well as hashtags being promoted regarding boycotting the airline etc. Also, few people have a view that it was an issue instigated by the passenger and the employee may not be at fault. Everyone is entitled to their views, so here is my personal view on the matter:
In my opinion, even if the passenger has been at fault when it comes to instigating the matter and using foul language, there is away to handle the issue and follow the procedures that may have been laid down in the manual ( I am sure they have one, and must have encountered similar issues before). At the end of the day, the airline is in a public facing business and their employees are expected to be trained to handle such pressures with calm. I am sure airline staff must be facing similar issues, almost regularly, because of flight delays, cancellations, seat allocations among many other reasons because of which passengers get agitated and react, sometimes in “not so” pleasant manner. Such issues are known to have been faced inflight while the aircraft is in air as well, and there are procedures to handle the agitated passenger, more so for ensuring protection of the aircraft and other passengers mid air.
In the video it is quite evident that the employee took the issue personally and reacted out of, what seemed like a personal vengeance. Not only was the person who pinned down the passenger, but also the person who shot the video (heard commenting in the video) seemed to have instigated the issue and asked his colleagues to prevent the passenger from boarding the bus. From the video it appeared that the airline has not been able to train its personnel who are employed in such crucial “passenger handling” roles or probably not hired people who have an aptitude to handle people issues in the most appropriate manner. Temperament is one critical component to be considered while hiring people for such roles.
I also know that this issue will pass off with most us not going to give up traveling by Indigo and purchase alternate tickets if such alternate tickets are more expensive, just because of this issue, at least not in the long run. But this incident is an example that airlines need to take responsibility for the behaviour (misbehaviour) of their staff and also consider soft skills training more seriously to ensure passenger safety and customer experience. Customers today are more aware, they have alternatives, they have choice and understand the power of choice; and must not be taken for granted. Also, camera phones today have provided the weapon that enables information sharing, in almost every hand.
This has taken a toll on the brand equity that Indigo Airlines built over time, with lots of efforts and money spent. It will take some time before Indigo is able to generate the confidence it built among its loyal customers, who may have been taken by surprise with this attitude of its staff, which reflects the attitude of the airline. The fact that the apology by an airline is issued after so many days, and only after the issue was highlighted in the media, demonstrates it’s commitment towards customer experience. As Suhel Seth rightly said that Indigo has been “reactive” and not “proactive” in managing the issue. Most Indian airlines’ are known for it’s culture of treating passengers as “guests”, in the literal sense, and that is what differentiates our airlines’ from those from the western world, but this incident has not only brought disgrace to Indigo but to the whole civil aviation sector in our country.
