Air India Express cabin crew ends strike, airline to take back termination letters
Air India Express strike will end and the company will reinstate those who have been sacked for calling in ‘sick’.
Air India Express cabin crew withdrew the strike after the airline agreed to look into issues raised by them, news agency PTI reported citing sources. The airline has agreed to withdraw termination letters issued to 25 cabin crew, PTI reported. After two and a half days of stalemate, the airline and the crew on Thursday came to a middle ground putting an end to the suffering of hundreds of flyers. Hundreds of flights were cancelled since Tuesday night as a section of the cabin crew reported sick in a protest against alleged mismanagement. On Thursday, the airline issued termination letters to around 25 cabin crew who were on strike.
Facing a sudden shortage of cabin crew which affected the flights, the airline apologised and assured a refund or alternative flight booking. Air India Express has decided to curtail flights till May 13 while roping in Air India's services on 20 of its routes. "We will be operating 283 flights today. We have mobilised all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 85 of our flights stand cancelled," the airline said in a revised statement on Thursday.
After the meeting, Air India Express said: “We are pleased with the progress we made at the conciliation meeting and welcome our cabin crew colleagues back at work. This will help us swiftly restore our flight schedule and fulfil our commitments to our guests. We sincerely apologise to those inconvenienced by these unintended disruptions. It is not in keeping with our usual service standards, and we will review it internally to ensure accountability. As we gradually bring our operations back to normalcy, we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check their flight status before heading to the airport. If their flight is cancelled, or delayed beyond 3 hours, they may opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any fees on Tia on WhatsApp (+91 6360012345) or on http://airindiaexpress.com.”
Air India Express strike: Here is what happened since Tuesday night
Several Air India Express cabin crew reported sick on Tuesday night leading to delays and cancellation of flights. The spiral effect of it was continued to be felt on Wednesday and Thursday.
The protesting crew members said there were several issues including the merger with AIX Connect (formerly Air Asia) that they were raising. Room sharing, lack of proper support, revised salary structure and alleged differential treatment of experienced crew members were some of the issues.
The civil aviation ministry sought a report from Air India Express on flight cancellations.
Air India Express sacked 25 cabin crew members for reporting 'sick' and called it a pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work.
A meeting between the Air India Express union and the company management was called on Thursday and both sides agreed to cooperate.
The 'unhappy' cabin crew members are ready to join the office with immediate effects and the management is ready to revoke the services of those terminated, it was said.
