Mumbai: Denied liquor, Air India staffers harass crew mid-air

NDTV

Mumbai, 13 October 2010:  Three Air India (AI) staffers were on a high -- literally -- on their way to Singapore for a vacation. The trio created havoc on an AI flight with their unruly behaviour and kept the cabin crew, who are also their colleagues, on their toes for more than five hours last Saturday.

 

Abhinav, Armaan and Arjun (names changed) began screaming and howling when the crew refused to serve them alcohol beyond the permissible limit (two pegs). "They told us that we were on flight to serve them and that our job was to do whatever they say," a senior crew on the AI426 Mumbai-Singapore flight told DNA. "The trio then sat with the food served on the flight for over an hour and complained that it was cold."

 

The men in their early 40s did not care about their fellow passengers either. "When they were instructed to wear seat belts, they refused and the moment the flight took off, they started talking loudly and disturbing other passengers. They also consumed the amount of alcohol permitted on flight in no time," the crew member said.

 

Fed up with their antics, the captain intervened and warned them of legal action if they continued to create ruckus on the flight. "But they threatened us, saying they knew our union leaders and that nothing will happen to them. We even asked them for their boarding pass, but one of them refused to show it," he said.

 

They mellowed down after some time when they realised they could land in trouble. "The captain told them they would be handed over to the Singapore police. That’s when they kept quiet," the member said. The AI spokesperson was unavailable for comment.