IndiGo backs ground staff after PV Sindhu's claims of mistreatment on Mumbai-bound flight

PV Sindhu claimed that a member of Indigo's ground staff spoke very rudely with her while she was about to board the flight.

 

Rasesh Mandani
Mumbai, November 4, 2017 | UPDATED 16:19 IST

Highlights

  • 1
    Sindhu claimed that a member of Indigo's ground staff spoke very rudely with her
  • 2
    The ground staff apparently objected to her carrying her kitbag
  • 3
    An air hostess in flight also apologised to Sindhu on behalf of the ground staff member

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu on Saturday tweeted about 'a very bad experience' on an Indigo flight while travelling from Hyderabad to Mumbai this morning.

Sindhu claimed that a member of Indigo's ground staff spoke very rudely with her while she was about to board the flight.

Sindhu tweeted, "Ground staff (skipper) Mr Ajeetesh behaved very badly and rudely with me. When the air hostess Ms Ashima tried to advise him to behave properly with the passenger (me), but to my surprise he behaved very rudely with her. If these type of people work for a reputed airline like Indigo they will spoil their reputation."

The airlines however, released a statement backing the staff member.

In a statement, the budget airline said, "Ms P V Sindhu boarded flight 6E608 Hyderabad - Mumbai last carrying oversized baggage which was not fitting into the overhead bin. Ms Sindhu was informed that it will be moved to cargo hold of the aircraft. This is the same policy we follow for all customers."

The airline added that oversized baggage inside the cabin inconveniences other customers and can also be a safety hazard if it can't be secured properly in the cabin.

"During the entire conversation, the member of the IndiGo ground operations remained calm. After several requests to her manager, they finally consented to the removal of the bag from the cabin. We then placed the over-sized baggage in the cargo hold and was handed over to Ms Sindhu on arrival," IndiGo said in its statement.

"We are extremely proud of Ms Sindhu's sporting achievements and are grateful for the laurels she has won for our country. However, safety of our operations is paramount to IndiGo. We hope that Ms Sindhu will appreciate that our colleague was only carrying out his duty in the best interest of a safe and reliable operation," the airline concluded.

The ground staff apparently objected to her carrying her kit-bag which had her racquets inside it. She usually carries them as hand luggage.

The staffer told her to get rid of them very rudely as they can't be in flight. Her father travelling with her also tried to make sense of the situation with the ground staff.

An air hostess in flight also apologised to Sindhu on behalf of the ground staff member for his behavior.

Sindhu's take is the air hostess herself urged her to tweet as the man in question had spoken and behaved inappropriately.

India Today tried to get in touch with Sindhu for her comments but she was unreachable at the time this copy went to press. 

(With inputs from Poulomi Saha)