SpiceJet air rage: An open letter to COO Sanjiv Kapoor from an aggrieved flyer

Dear Mr Sanjiv Kapoor,

Thank you so much for highlighting the issue of abuse of cabin crew and ground staff through your recent tweets. It is indeed saddening to note some flyers are turning abusive for trivial issues as some of your tweets indicate. While abusing cannot be justified on any grounds and needs to be condemned in the strongest possible words, there is another side to the story that you must know.

You need to find out the reasons for passengers turning abusive in some cases other than the ones mentioned by you.

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Before I move ahead I must mention that this is feedback from a passenger who has boarded all airlines that operate in India. I must also state that I have boarded innumerable flights and have landed at most of the airports in India. This covers almost all the airports where SpiceJet operates its flights.

Mr Sanjiv Kapoor, at the outset let me inform you that flyers don’t turn abusive all of a sudden, mid-air or on ground. They carry with themselves a baggage of frustration mostly arising from their experience on ground. Most of the airlines are ill-equipped to handle customer queries and when you dial any airline’s helpline there is a wait time which has recentlyincreased significantly.

Sugar coated words like we will like to fly you again are repeated by airlines, without bothering to figure out how a customer felt when he was on board.

Most airlines don’t explain why their flights are delayed and a standard answer given is that ‘flight is delayed because of the delay in the previous sector or route’. Why don’t you own your mistake wherever applicable?

This is not the end of the story. There are numerous other examples to make passengers angry, if not abusive.

Let me share with you my experience with your airline. I was travelling to Hubli from Mumbai last year. The security check happened on time and I boarded the bus before time to board the flight. But when the bus reached the place where the flight was parked, we had to wait for 35 minutes in the bus in which the AC was not functional.

After 30 minutes, we were told that there was a VIP movement in Hubli because of which the flight has not been given permission to take off and we have to wait. Whatbizarre logic? Was the airline not aware about this? Why should passengers wait for 35 minutes in the bus?

I sent a tweet to your Twitter handle and got a generous sorry in response to that. Just a sorry for 35 minutes of torturous wait? You should have sent a letter to all the passengers stating the reason for the delay and apologizing to them in writing. But this was not your issue and somebody else’s problem.

I must share another experience before I move ahead. When I was flying from Guwahati to Mumbai via Delhi on a SpiceJet flight (SG 894,in 2012), the flight was delayed for two hours. On repeated enquiry, I was not given right reason for the delay. When the flight reached Delhi, the flyers who were going to Mumbai were told to remain seated and after 15 minutes asked to board another flight. This happened at midnight.

Mr Kapoor, I find it really surprising that pilots don’t share information on push back delays, landing delays etc in many cases. What is the harm in talking to the passengers? You sell your products mid-air and make irritating announcements, but don’t communicate when required. After all, we are not expecting you to share confidential information. The misery of a passenger continues even after deplaning. Time taken for luggage to reach conveyor belt is most of the times abnormally high.

All airlines call their passengers “Guests”. Ah, that is so respectful! Mr Kapoor, I am sure that you know India is a country where we believe in, “AtithiDevoBhava”. Can we not expect decent treatment when we call the crew for a glass of water?I will suggest that either airlines should stop using the word ‘guest’ for their passengers or should start treating them as guests.

Mr Kapoor, airlines is a part of the service industry and should be focused on customers. Don’t treat us as kings but respect the fact that when we board the flight, we are entitled to a dignified, well informed, on schedule travel. Don’t think of stringent regulations as replacement for service issues. I will be happy if your staff do not dance on a flight to Goa on occasion of Holi but just be decent and communicate with me when desired.

While we generally believe that competition creates better service, this remains a mirage in the case of Indian airlines’ businesses. Competition has meant much for the customers. But, when it comes to occasional fare discounts, the websites of airlines crash like the one we saw when you announced a Re 1 ticket last time.

I think airlines in India and many other businesses in service industry don’t understand what service exactly mean or they don’t intend to provide service.

Last but the most important thing that I must repeat now, I condemn abuse in any form and by anybody on any ground. Mr Kapoor, I hope you will provide me better travel experience when I board your airline next time.

Regards,
An aggrieved flyer (Guest!)