“We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide.Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date. Guests flying with us today are requested to check if their flight is affected, before heading to the airport,” an Air India Express spokesperson has said.
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Air India Express is a Tata group airline. Last month Vistara, another Tata group airline, experienced unrest among pilots. AI Express, which will soon have AirAsia India merged into it, is facing resistance from senior cabin crew members regarding new employment terms.
According to a TOI report, the 300 cabin crew members who called in sick en masse since midnight have turned off their phones. The budget airline has advised passengers scheduled to fly on Wednesday “to check if their flight is affected, before heading to the airport.”
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With AI Express operating around 200 daily flights, primarily international, the cancellation of nearly 80 flights so far indicates that 40% of the schedule has been impacted.
An AI Express spokesperson stated, “A section of our cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result.”