Kolkata: Angry flyers screamed at them, profanities were hurled from all directions, phones were snatched away and work terminals were damaged. IndiGo Airlines ground staff at Kolkata airport, who endured 60 hours of extreme stress and tension from midnight of Dec 1 until the afternoon of Dec 6, are glad that the nightmare is over.
With the dust kicked up by the IndiGo flight delays and cancellations finally appearing to settle down, the airline staff recounted the hours they spent in fear, with some caught in the middle of angry passengers who were livid over the lack of information on their flights and furious after cancelled flights left them stranded.
"Passengers booked on our flights were understandably very upset over the delays that were building up and cancellations that were being announced after hours of waiting. They demanded to know what was happening. Unfortunately, the situation evolved so fast, even we weren't aware. Now, we know that a string of events contributed to a set of delays whose cascading effect resulted in even further delays and eventually cancellations. Caught in the middle of the crisis, we tried our best to cooperate with passengers and assure them that there was nothing wrong with the airline and that their concerns about travel or refunds would be addressed. But working for those 60 hours was extremely tough as some passengers continued to abuse and misbehave with the frontline staff," recounted a ground crew member.
A senior airport official said the situation turned so volatile at times that he feared some airline staff might suffer harm. An additional 100 CISF personnel were deployed, some with a visible display of arms, to bring the situation under control.
"During that critical period, the IndiGo station manager spent 72 hours at the airport. While the usual shift for the airline ground staff is 9 hours, many of them spent 12-15 hours. Though they were under extreme stress and fear, it is creditable that none of them left their post and continued to interact with passengers," the airport official said.
Sources said several of the 700-odd IndiGo white-collar employees at Kolkata airport are undergoing counselling and therapy sessions.