Vistara — Harassment and fake allegation by male baggage handler and female Vistara staff at gate 65A Mumbai airport on May 27, 2023

Address:

Vistara Airlines, Gate 65, Mumbai Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Airport

Good afternoon,

Mumbai to Varanasi

Flight number: UK621

Departure time: 1:20 pm

Arrival time: 3:40 pm

Mumbai Airport Gate number 65A.

I wisht to write this complaint in reference to the complaint I had made to the Vistara Airlines and Mumbai airport on 27th may 2023.

I submitted the following complaint to the Mumbai Aiport's Vistara airline and Mumbai airport on May 27, 2023, which is as follows:
This whole incident occurred at 12:45 pm or 12:50 pm at gate number 65A on 27th May 2023.
I and my parents were traveling from Mumbai to Varanasi today which is May 27, 2023, and the gate number was 65A. Each o[censored]s had our trolley bags which altogether makes it 3 trolley bags. The departure time was 1:30 pm and we began boarding at around 12:45 or 12:50 pm.

The gate number was 65A and the flight number was UK621. When our turn came to board the flight, there was one female Vistara staff aged 50+ years in a black coat who all of a sudden came and stood at the gate, and started instructing us that "Why did you carry such huge bags? You are not supposed to carry such big bags on air." "You will not board unless I check the weight of your bags." She pulled the bag from my mother's hand and stopped her.

These are the exact words she used and snatched my mother's trolley bag from her hand. Then, later a male baggage handler came and threatened us that he will not let us board the flight unless our bags are weighed. We told the female Vistara staff and the baggage handler that we have already checked the weights of our bags at home and at the airport before boarding at the check-in counter. At the check-in counter, we told the authority that we wish to carry our bags and that's when she checked the weight of our bags and let us take them. To this, the baggage handler said we are not your slaves, you are the slaves right now so you cannot board the flight unless we tell you to, and unless we check the weight of your bags. You will need to check in the bags and not carry them. He threatened us to not board the flight.

The female Vistara staff appeared above 50+ years was in a black coat, had a fairer skin tone (do not mean to judge anybody by their color, but I wish to mention this as the employees did not have an identity badge), and had heavy makeup.

This baggage handler was a Hindi-speaking man, with big eyes, a bald head on the front, 5 feet one inch, and a bit stout (I do not mean to judge anybody by their color, but I wish to mention this as the employees did not have an identity badge). The baggage handler said that you people who board the flight are our slaves and you need to do as we say. You will not board the flight until I bring the weighing scale and check your

I answered back at him that we have checked the weight of our bags and said that we cannot threaten to not board the flight. I also asked him to behave himself but he did not stop and the female Vistara attendant kept supporting him and did not stop him.

We have come to Varanasi for just one day and why would we carry many things with us? Nobody would want to pick up heavy bags and place them above the seats on the flight. People don't carry the entire household with them everywhere they go via a flight that is just 2 hours away from a certain destination. Our bags were of the accurate size and we always carry these bags while traveling through Indigo, SpiceJet, and other airlines, but no airline staff has ever told us to weigh the bags during boarding at the gate and threatened us to not board the flight unlike in Vistara.

Today morning on 28th May, 2023, a Vistara staff member called my father. He handed the phone to me and the Vistara staff told me that the airport authority of Mumbai airport addressed my complaint to Vistara ground staff appointed at gate 65A on 27th May 2023 and the deputy manager of Vistara airlines. Instead of telling the truth, the baggage handler and the female Vistara staff at gate no. 65 at Mumbai airport accused me of abusing them. I asked her do you have proof of the abuses and told me what abuses did I use? She said the ground staff did not give them the proof. I told her to pass on my message to the ground staff of vistara at gate 65 which was appointed there on 27th May, 2023, that I will reach the higher authority of Vistara Airlines and complain about the incident as well as the baggage handler and the Vistara female staff. I had to argue with the baggage handler and the Vistara female staff because they threatened us that they will not let us board the flight unless they weigh our bags. If it was somebody else was in my place even they would have argued with them because we pay for our flights and not letting us board is a crime on behalf of the airline ground staff. But in the process of argument, I could not abuse because my parents were with me and I cannot abuse them in front of them as it is unethical. Rather, the ground staff called us a slave and told us that we have to listen to what we said.

A baggage handler had no job at the gate. His job is to only handle the baggage of the passengers yet he was at the gate and threatened us to not board the flight unless he brings the weighing scale.

My mother was carrying her small purse as well as one handbag which only had food and one trolley bag which is of the size that always fits in the compartment above the seat. She cannot check in the handbag which had food and yet was forced to stop and not board the flight until her bags are weighed. I was carrying one trolley bag that also fits in the compartment above the seat, and my father was carrying one trolley bag only. We always carry these many bags only when we travel by indigo and SpiceJet, but nobody told us to check in the trolley bag, purse, and handbag which has food. Telling to check in trolley bags is ok, but commenting on the size, and forcing others to check the weight of all bags at the gate is wrong. They are not supposed to do that at the gate, because it was already done at the check-in counter and we were allowed to carry our bags with us because it was under the permissible weight and that food cannot be checked-in.

It is unfair to accuse passengers of abuse without proof. When I asked the female staff today on the phone call, she said they do not have proof of you abusing them. Then on what basis can the deputy manager not take action against the ground staff and accuse me of abusing them?
If I had to abuse somebody, I would have done that many times in the past as I am a frequent traveler. But, I never felt the need to complain about any ground staff at Mumbai airport because they are all good and kind to us. This is the first time I got this experience with the ground staff at Vistara gate no. 65. My parents have traveled via Vistara twice before, but they never met such ground staff and baggage handlers. The Mumbai airport was sent this complaint from me, but adequate strict actions have not been taken against the behavior and comments, and allegations of the male baggage handler and female Vistara staff at gate 65A Mumbai airport on May 27, 2023.

I humbly request you to look into the matter and take strict action against the baggage handler and the female Vistara staff at gate no 65, Mumbai Airport, on May 27th, 2023 t 12:45-12:50 pm.