Par panel slams IndiGo for rude behaviour of its staff

A Parliamentary panel has slammed low-cost carrier IndiGo for "discourteous and rude" behaviour of its employees towards passengers, saying it was an "institutional" problem, and urged the 'market leader' to adopt a consumer-friendly approach.
The observations, made in the report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, follow a video that went viral last year showing IndiGo ground staff allegedly assaulting a passenger.
"The Committee observes that the problem affecting the airlines are not personal, it is institutional. An institution like IndiGo has to develop a consumer-friendly approach in dealing with their passengers," said the report tabled in Rajya Sabha.

It added, "the Committee believes that being a leader in market share, IndiGo needs to look inward and find out the reasons for the discourteous attitude and rude and indifferent behaviour of their employees, whether it is their cabin crew or the ground staff."
The panel emphasised that the "arrogant behaviour of employees should stop".
Responding to media queries regarding the panel's observations, Minister for Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju merely said, "everyone should behave properly".

A member of the committee, while making a general observation about various airlines, said, "the attitude of airline staff is as if they are on some high ground and the passengers are like herds, as if passengers are uneducated and illiterate ones who do not know anything, who have not flown before."

"Occasionally, the airlines staff murmur 'please' and 'thank you' but beyond that their attitude is rude," the member said, alleging that the ground staff "is worse" than cabin crew.
A scuffle took place between a passenger and an IndiGo ground staff in October on the Delhi airport tarmac.
The government has told Parliament that the regulatory body Directorate General of Civil Aviation came to know of the incident only after almost a month through the social media and ordered an inquiry.
In a letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, IndiGo had apologised for the incident.