Blaming The Wrong People

Rising air travel chaos has revealed not just airline failures and regulatory lapses, but also a disturbing culture of entitlement that targets the weakest people in the system

- SIDDHARTH DEV VERMAN

Ground staff are not villains — they are the most helpless people in the crisis

Recent scenes on social media of disarray and near stampedes in airports across the country have dominated national news.

The top management of the country's largest airline has been rightly castigated. Of course, there are questions on the role of the regulatory body too, who were no less guilty of rigor mortis when it came to overseeing the implementation of their own guidelines. The long rope given to the dominant private player has twisted itself into a noose for the unsuspecting public.

One aspect of this drama which caught my attention was the furious reaction of the public and the venting of their ire on the hapless and young frontline ground staff of the airline. Cancelled and delayed flights in the face of pressing deadlines and family emergencies can unnerve and unhinge the calmest amongst us. The escalation of ticket costs, delayed refunds, and general dismissive attitude of the two sector leaders controlling 90% of the market adds insult to the frustration of the grounded flyers. It's like putting money in the bank and suddenly receiving a debit message instead. But we don't go to the bank and beat up the cashier for that.

I have experienced missed flights abroad in international airports for different reasons. Nobody rushes to the counter, shouts at the staff, or demands instant remedies. There are shrugged shoulders, wry smiles, and a bit of murmuring, but everyone queues up as requested by the airline staff and considers the options offered. There are no ticket-waving hordes baying for blood. And nobody blames or shouts at the staff.