During a flight delay in which passengers were made to wait at Pune airport, tensions rose to the brink over the quality of food Spicejet provided. A video, that has now gone viral, shows passengers forcing a member of Spicejet’s ground staff to eat a plate of biryani that they were given by the airline.
“Tu kyu nahi khayega? Hum kutte hai? Ye khana tu khayega. Kha, yahin sab ke saamne kha. (Why won’t you eat it? Are we dogs? You will eat it. Eat it here in front of everybody),” says a passenger to a Spicejet staff member.
When the staff member in question eats the biryani and says it’s okay, passengers became even more incensed.
As the beleaguered employee attempted to walk away, the same passenger who asked if they were dogs, said, “Dekh dimaagh kharab mat kar baith ja aaram se. (Don’t mess with my brain, just sit down).”
Stating that the incident is two-weeks old, the airline condemned the behaviour towards its staff and denied any problems with the quality of food.
In a statement shared with The Indian Express, a SpiceJet spokesperson said, “We strongly deny the claims being made in connection with the video in question, which is over two weeks old.
The food served to passengers was fresh and of good quality. It was procured from an authorised vendor who supplies packaged food not only to SpiceJet but also to several other airlines operating at the airport, as well as to customers within the terminal. Our ground staff carries out their responsibilities diligently and to the best of their abilities.”
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Additionally, the spokesperson said, “the incident captured in the video is deeply unfortunate, and the behaviour displayed towards our staff is unacceptable and condemnable. As is clearly visible, the SpiceJet ground staff remained polite, respectful, and professional despite being subjected to verbal abuse and unwarranted physical conduct.
We stand firmly by our staff and condemn any form of misbehaviour or aggression against them,” said the spokesperson while refusing to divulge the exact date of the incident and the flight number of the passengers.”
