Air India on Monday suspended nearly 10 crew members as they expressed concerns regarding the carrier’s revised policy on hotel rooms during stayovers. The airline lately introduced a policy that needs some crew members to share rooms during their stayover period. The carrier alleged that the crew members also participated in instigating other members to protest against the new policies.
Before Air India’s merger with Vistara scheduled for next month, the carrier revised its policy for the cabin crew members, effective from December 1, 2024. Meanwhile, the All India Cabin Crew Association, which represents the cabin crew members, criticised the airline’s room-sharing policy, stating that it is ‘illegal, bad in law and Void ab initio on multiple fronts’. The body also called for the labour body to intervene into the matter, reported The Financial Express.
The airline has also taken action against some cabin crew members in this regard. The union is demanding hotel accommodations and conditions that align with the current policy for pilots.
The new policy, to come into effect from December 1, 2024, will require cabin crew members to share rooms during layovers, with the exception for cabin executives and the members on ultra-long haul flights.
Crew members included on ultra-long haul flights will have single rooms during the layovers, including unscheduled ones due to flight diversions, internal communications revealed. Notably, ultra-long haul flights last 16 hours or more than that and Air India operates routes to North America.
Cabin executives with experience of nearly eight years of flying time, will also be entitled to receive single rooms during layovers.
Notably, the Tata Group acquired Air India back in January 2022 and ever since has been making changes as part of efforts to revamp the loss-making airline. Collectively, Air India and Vistara will have a workforce of nearly 25,000 employees. About 12,000 will be cabin crew members.