Passengers need to clean up their act

There couldn’t have been a more disastrous start to the new year for Air India under the Tatas, with two terrible on-board incidents coming to light.

A lot has been said about the reprehensible misbehaviour of the two Indian male passengers on board. News reports, videos, jokes, and memes have gone viral, making the Indian flagship carrier a laughing stock. But this is no laughing matter. The incidents were not only humiliating to the two affected female passengers but have brought disgrace to the airline and to India.

In the first incident, an inebriated man allegedly urinated on a female passenger onboard a New York-Delhi Air India flight on Nov 26. This happened in the flight’s business class.

Also Read: 'I didn't urinate on Air India co-passenger, she herself peed,' Shankar Mishra tells Delhi court

The second incident took place on December 6 on an Air India flight from Paris to New Delhi, when a “drunk” male passenger allegedly urinated on the blanket of a female passenger. However, although the matter was reported by the pilot to the authorities, no penal action was taken after the passenger gave a written apology.

The aviation minister has assured speedy action, the CEO of Air India has apologised, the head of Tatas has expressed anguish, and the aviation regulator has sought an explanation from Air India within two weeks. All very well. The need of the hour is a thorough investigation into the incidents, and if found guilty of misbehaviour, stern penal action must be imposed on the perpetrators.

Likewise, the pilots and cabin crew need to answer some tough questions on why the matter was taken so lightly and not reported immediately.

More importantly, the issues involved in these incidents merit serious attention from the authorities concerned.

Air India, like most airlines, has a liquor policy in place to prevent alcohol-related air rage. The policy also advises cabin crew to stop serving liquor to intoxicated passengers. Clearly, there seems to be a violation of this policy.

As part of their job, cabin crew must keep a close eye on passenger movements during flight. Some foresight and quick action could have prevented the men from committing their crimes.

The cabin crew could have been empathetic to the aggrieved lady by offering her another seat, even if it was in first class, rather than making her suffer in the same soiled seat. This was an exceptional case, and an exception could have been made.

What is most disturbing is that the pilot and the crew, for whatever reason, deemed it unnecessary to report the incidents to the authorities concerned, thereby letting the wrongdoers get away. This amounts to dereliction of duty and is unpardonable.

It needs to be emphasised that the dehumanising act of the two male passengers was not just uncouth but a criminal offense (indecent exposure of one’s private parts is a crime).

Equally galling is the fact that the two men, in their apparently inebriated state, targeted women. Crimes against women? Whether this was deliberate or not, one cannot tell, but the fact is that there were men on the flight.

Also Read: Air India peeing incident: Woman had no intention to file complaint, claims Shankar Mishra

Worryingly, the incidents also point to the general deterioration of morals and values in our society. What does one make of the so-called educated lot who hold important positions in companies or businesses when they behave in such a depraved manner?

On social media platforms and at times in the mainstream media too, there are many accounts from passengers and flight attendants of men behaving badly on airplanes.

In 2017, when actor Zaira Wasim complained of molestation by a middle-aged man on a Delhi-Mumbai flight, there was a public outcry, and the man was arrested.

At the time, The Print sought the views of flight attendants about the behaviour of Indian men. Here’s a sample of what they said.

Indian men are notorious for behaving badly.

Indian passengers are some of the worst passengers to deal with. Many foreign airlines give ‘hardship allowances’ to cabin crew when they fly to India.

Indian passengers treat international flights like an open bar and drink non-stop. Drunk male passengers don’t listen to female flight attendants at all.

The worst offenders are usually rich people or those flying business class because they think they can get away with anything.

When high-profile guests are involved, my colleagues usually don’t complain because they know the guests can get away with bad behaviour and it could jeopardise their jobs.

Of course, there are exceptions, but what a sad commentary on passenger behaviour!

Can the Tatas make Air India a better airline? Only time will tell.

(The writer is a veteran journalist)