Airy fairies land on dirt

Air hostesses, other crew claim airline has asked them to multitask in wake of slump

Airy fairies land on dirt

Air hostesses, other crew claim airline has asked them to multitask in wake of slump

The pretty air hostess' wings have been clipped and her soaring dream seems to have hit an air pocket. Instead of serving Champagne in air with a smile, she will now have to spoil her manicured hands handling baggage on ground.

In a notice circulated a couple of days ago, the Jet Airways has allegedly asked its cabin crew to double up as ground staff. A move that has shocked and angered its young employees, who feel they have been cheated again after being reinstated in their jobs in October last year.

Beating the crunch

"Four cabin crew members have been assigned ground duties in the morning hours and five in the evening. The employees will be working inside the aircraft for a week and then shift to ground duty the next week. The duty will be rotated among all stewards and air hostesses working on probation. The new responsibilities were allotted two to three days ago but it's difficult to say till when this system will be followed. This step has been taken to cut increasing employee expenses," said a Jet Airways' official, wishing not to be named.

While air hostesses and stewards are vehemently protesting, many feel the move should be judged against the backdrop of the meltdown.

"Economies have been hit globally. While many companies are shedding employees, Jet Airways has tried to realign duties, saving jobs. A number of companies have been asking their employees to multitask. The airline is actually helping these youngsters," added the official. However, the Jet Airways' official spokesperson, Ragini Chopra, refused to comment on the issue, saying she was on leave. "I can get back to you only after a day," said Chopra.

Meanwhile, senior Jet Airways'u00a0 employees had been recently asked to take voluntary pay-cuts.

Dreams gone sour

While the company cites financial crunch, for the cabin crew, the change of work profile is nothing short of a busted dream. Twenty-four-year-old Rashi Khanna (name changed), who once dreamt of becoming a glamorous air hostess, is now confused about her career. After successfully completing an air hostess' training course from a private institute in Delhi, Khanna got a probationary job with Jet Airways. After working with the airlines for a few months she was sacked and reinstated in October with about 1,900 other employees.

"I was very happy when I was reinstated. In fact, all of us who were reinstated vowed to put in extra efforts to prove our worth. But the latest company decision has demoralised us again. We have not been trained to handle ground duties. It will take us time to learn and in the process, we will lose our specialisation as well," said Khanna.u00a0

The disparity between a cabin crew and a ground employee's work profile runs deep, starting at the training institute itself. "Everyone wants to become an air hostess or flight steward. It's more glamorous. The prettiest girls and the smartest boys are chosen to be trained as cabin crew. The cabin employees lead a pampered life, drawing higher salaries and the best of facilities. While an air hostess draws a minimum of Rs 30,000 per month, a ground handler gets only Rs 10,000. Air hostesses are put up in five-star hotels and are picked and dropped in chauffeur-driven cars," said a Jet Airways' ground employee, requesting anonymity.

Security risk

But this profile alteration has not only hurt egos. Jet Airways' employees allege even the security of the aircraft can be jeopardised.

A ground employee's responsibilities include catering to fliers, helping them with checking-in facilities and aiding security check of baggage. These duties can only be handled by a trained professional.

"Students undergo rigorous training for 15 days to work as a ground staffer. The stewards and air hostesses do not receive this training. By placing us on ground duties, the airline is ignoring the security of the aircraft. We are ill-equipped to perform this duty and if tomorrow some untoward incident occurs, we will be held responsible," said a Jet Airways' steward, wishing not to be named. Many among the cabin crew feel passengers' safety will also be put at risk.

"Air hostess and stewards are primarily responsible for the comfort and welfare of passengers. But we are in-charge of their safety as well. A minimum presence of cabin crew in an aircraft is a legal requirement," added the steward.