After a video showing an IndiGo crew member arguing with a passenger on board went viral, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Jet Airways, Sanjiv Kapoor, reacted to it and came in support of the air hostess. Now, the CEO has shared more of his thoughts on the incident in an exchange with Twitter users.
Mr Kapoor, in a tweet, had said that “crew are humans too” while highlighting the issues they face including being called a “servant”. “I have seen crew slapped and abused on board flights, called "servant" and worse,” he wrote.
As I had said earlier, crew are human too. It must have taken a lot to get her to breaking point. Over the years I have seen crew slapped and abused on board flights, called "servant" and worse. Hope she is fine despite the pressure she must be under. https://t.co/cSPI0jQBZl
— Sanjiv Kapoor (@TheSanjivKapoor) December 21, 2022
As a user disagreed with the CEO saying that the passenger's version hasn't been heard yet, Mr Kapoor clarified, “I said nothing about the passenger. However we know from the video that another crew member was reduced to tears after interaction with this passenger, and he used the term "servant". Thanks.”
I said
— Sanjiv Kapoor (@TheSanjivKapoor) December 21, 2022
1. Crew are human too.
2. Must have taken a lot to get her to breaking point.
I said nothing about the passenger. However we know from the video that another crew was reduced to tears after interaction with this passenger, and he used the term "servant". Thanks.
Another user said that Mr Kapoor was sympathising with the crew being the CEO of an airline. To this, Mr Kapoor replied, “So you missed the part where it is stated he made another crew cry? And you missed the use of the word "servant"?”
He added, “For me, that alone speaks volumes. However, don't take it from me, take it from eyewitness accounts.”
So you missed the part where it is stated he made another crew cry? And you missed the use of the word "servant"?
— Sanjiv Kapoor (@TheSanjivKapoor) December 21, 2022
For me, that alone speaks volumes. However don't take it from me, take it from eyewitness accounts....https://t.co/obFUh8Kcr6
Sharing the definition of “servant”, one user said that there wasn't anything problematic in using the word for the flight crew. “We all are servants working for our employer,” the tweet read.
@TheSanjivKapoor I don't see any issue in usage of the word "servant". We all are servants working for our employer. These are some other meanings of the word "servant" apart from the one which you are trying to highlight. Airline needs to educate their staffs pic.twitter.com/sOd4lqeSVj
— Saikat Das (@its_saikat_10) December 22, 2022
This drew a response from the Jet Airways CEO who reiterated his stance and wrote that justifying the usage of the word was wrong. “You, sir, are then part of the problem. As any reasonable person would agree, the use of the word "servant" and its implications depend on the context in which it is used, **especially in India**. Justifying such usage with a crew in the context it was used, is simply unacceptable.”
You, sir, are then part of the problem. As any reasonable person would agree, use of the word "servant" and its implications depend on the context in which it is used, **especially in India**. Justifying such usage with crew in the context it was used, is simply unacceptable.
— Sanjiv Kapoor (@TheSanjivKapoor) December 22, 2022
In the video, the in-flight crew was seen engaged in a heated argument with a passenger and accusing him of talking to the staff harshly. At one point, the passenger called the airhostess a servant to which she replied, “I am not your servant”.
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