Recent incidents – where a passenger on board a Delhi-Goa flight hit the pilot in reaction to the 13-hour delay; Actor Radhika Apte and co-passengers attack airline crew for being locked inside the aerobridge for hours with no access to food or water; And where fliers weren’t updated about the delays – he has focused on rising cases of air rage. In such situations when there is extreme stress, is this the right way to react? Can anger be avoided? Experts help us understand what will help ease the condition.
which caused an uproar
On Saturday, Bollywood actress Radhika Apte shared on her Instagram account how she and other passengers, including infants, were kept in an aerobridge and had to wait for hours due to the flight delay. “No water, no toilet. Thanks for the fun ride,” she shared sarcastically.
The next day, South Delhi resident Sahil Kataria, who was aboard a Delhi-Goa Indigo flight, attacked the co-pilot who was announcing the flight delay. Kataria was going to Goa with his wife for their honeymoon and the flight which was supposed to take off at 7.40 am finally took off at 6.30 pm, which angered him. While a case was registered against him and he was granted bail, Russian actress Evgenia Belskaya, who recorded the viral video of the attack, has accused the airline of instigating her to do so. She posted: “My team was waiting for their flight for 10 hours, then one guy got fed up and then they had to wait another 3 hours! The police took the guy away and they even had to change the pilot! Really crazy!” His video message said: Killing the pilot is wrong, but why is he blaming the passengers? Everyone was nervous and instead of supporting them you made it worse.
Actor Ranvir Shorey has opened up about the 10-hour delay by Indigo Airlines, saying he was “fed lies” and will file a complaint for trauma. The entire incident has gone viral, prompting many others to share their frustrating air travel experiences…
No food, rude behavior of air hostess and wrong information
Other frequent travelers share their experiences, with Joel John of Rainmaker Wedding Planners confirming that flight delays can lead to increased stress. “I have seen people being asked to wait for hours on the flight during their destination wedding. This became a major difficulty as toilets were few and small and it was inconvenient for senior citizens,” he says.
Unez Qureshi, a sales head at a technology company who is suffering from long flight delays, suggests a way out. He says, “In New York, when I was flying on a low-cost airline to Las Vegas, the flight was delayed for the first two hours after which we had to wait on the plane for four hours. But here the airline did a smart thing. He served food to people – initially peanuts, then juice and then gave earphones to everyone so that they could watch the movie and not complain. IndiGo should also have satisfied the passengers by serving something. This diverts public attention from the delays being caused, and is also humane.” He adds, “There are many trigger points that can affect people. On some occasions, I have seen air hostesses behaving rudely with passengers and on some occasions, passengers are given wrong information or are not made aware of the situation. I have also seen the pilot blaming the passengers. We must remember that in flying there are people who are claustrophobic and there are those who are flying for the first time. You have to take into account their psychology. A system is needed to help dissatisfied passengers. Delay due to fog is not a new thing, also why was only one runway operational in Delhi?”
‘We’re not teaching the soft skills needed to calm people down’ Dr Varkha Chulani, a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist and enablement expert, sounds the alarm on how this could be just the tip of the iceberg. Referring to the #Slapgate incident, he shared, “In a video, a fellow passenger reported that the pilot was blaming the passengers, telling them that the plane was being delayed because of them and I think This is what was making that man angry.” , Having no comfortable place to rest, not enough food and water etc. had the effect of waiting for more than 10 hours. There is a tendency that when a person gets tired, anger and rage emerge even more. Instead of the airline being considerate of the situation of tired passengers, if they place the blame on the passengers, it could actually make them angry and do something which is not at all in their character. I never support acts of violence, but we also have to realize that we are pushing people to the brink, whether in terms of infrastructure or traffic or anything else. “We are not teaching the soft skills needed to calm people down.”
She adds, “Remember, peace is not just a mental state of mind, the environment plays a huge role in helping people calm their nerves. Here it is full of noise and commotion that exists for every task that one has to go through to achieve the simplest of things. In the aerobridge case, what if someone has a medical emergency or claustrophobia or needs to use the bathroom? It appears we are at the tipping point of epidemic-proportional fragmentation. There is a lot of neglect all around and this is not a good sign at all for the society at large. If the airline had known there were no pilots available due to poor rostering or any of their challenges, and if they had taken ownership and responsibility, this would never have happened. But today the entire ecosystem will never accept the mistakes made by us. In the Western world, you see people go out of their way to serve us; They are apologetic and have a sense of ownership. If you have that thoughtfulness and compassion, you will never lose your nerve. If not, this is just the beginning, we will see more such incidents.”
Know your rights as a flyer
Here are some guidelines from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) (as applicable to Indian airspace for domestic flight) that may help you as a traveller:
If a flight is cancelled, passengers can ask for a refund. If there is a delay of four-six hours (varies between different carriers) or more, passengers can demand a refund or a seat on an alternate flight. However, in cases of natural disasters, civil war, etc., one cannot ask for a refund.
In cases where the flight is delayed by more than 24 hours, except in exceptional circumstances such as extreme weather, security risks, airlines must arrange for hotel accommodation, transfers.
An airline carrier is not obliged to provide food and water to passengers, but they should do so as a courtesy. The quality and quantity of food on domestic flights may vary from one airline’s policy to another.
, Inputs by Suhail Farooqui, Aviation Lawyer, Bruce Chambers, Mumbai
3 ways to deal with it
1) Keep yourself hydrated and well-nourished: Solve the problem in advance and prepare accordingly. So, carry with you tidbits like a chocolate bar or nuts, inhaler (if you need), eye mask for catnap, etc. Drink enough water also.
2) Distract yourself: Try taking a walk, reading, listening to music, or watching a TV show on a gadget at the airport so you’re not ready to cut your or someone else’s hair.
3) Accept things: Accept that circumstances are out of your control and the only thing you can control is how you manage yourself and not do anything stupid. That is the key.
– Input by Dr Varkha Chulani
