Nov 24, 2009
Airline takes maid's employer on a marathon runaround
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MY HOUSEKEEPER went on her first vacation to her homeland in India after working with me for almost two years. I got her a return ticket to Tiruchirapalli from Air India Express as it is the only airline that flies there. Her flight was IX 681 and her return flight to Singapore was IX 684.
She was due to return last Friday at 8.55pm, but due to technical problems, we were told by Changi International Airport Services staff that her flight would arrive only at 11.50pm. At 11pm, I called again to reconfirm the time and was told the flight would arrive only at 2am on Saturday. At about 2am, when I called again, I was told it would arrive between 4.30am and 4.45am.
My son and I reached the airport at about 4.15am on Saturday. Though we scanned each Indian passenger who arrived, to our distress, our housekeeper was nowhere to be seen. I approached the information counter where an officer directed me to the Air India Express counter in the departure hall and gave me the phone number of the Air India office at the airport. To my disappointment, the Air India Express counter was not open and I could get no answer from the phone number.
Later, I went to the Air India Express counter in the departure hall, which was now open. Finally, after a few hours of waiting, Ms Nurzuzan Ahmad managed to get a list of passengers on IX 684 and confirmed that my housekeeper's name was there and that she was on the plane.
Later, I returned to the information counter in the arrival hall and asked to speak to the service quality manager. One Ms Tan attended to me.
I explained the situation and asked her to help me search for my housekeeper, who could be wandering around the airport. I even managed to retrieve my housekeeper's photo from my Facebook webpage in an Internet cafe to speed up the search. It was during this time that I received a call from my housekeeper that she had arrived on IX 682 at about 9.30am and not IX 684.
I told my son to look out for my housekeeper while I went to meet Ms Nurzuzan. When I told her my housekeeper had called and she was on IX 682 and not IX 684, she was dumbfounded. She said the listing she received showed my housekeeper's name on IX 684 and not IX 682.
When there is a flight delay by a substantial number of hours, why are duty managers from Air India Express not there to answer queries on passengers? How did my housekeeper's name end up on the IX 684 listing when when she was actually on IX 682?
According to Ms Nurzuzan, when she finally brought up the matter to the Air India Express manager, Mr Sunny, she was told to handle the matter. How can the manager brush off such a query lightly? My son and I spent hours worrying, searching, running from one place to another looking for my housekeeper and talking to her family members. Her family was worried sick.
I am appalled by the service of Air India Express. This was further affirmed when my housekeeper told me that though the flight was delayed from 12.30pm last Friday to 12.30am on Saturday, she was not given any food until 5pm on Friday. I do not understand how an established airline like Air India Express can treat its passengers like this.
K.D. Leena (Ms)
Airline takes maid's employer on a marathon runaround
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<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
MY HOUSEKEEPER went on her first vacation to her homeland in India after working with me for almost two years. I got her a return ticket to Tiruchirapalli from Air India Express as it is the only airline that flies there. Her flight was IX 681 and her return flight to Singapore was IX 684.
She was due to return last Friday at 8.55pm, but due to technical problems, we were told by Changi International Airport Services staff that her flight would arrive only at 11.50pm. At 11pm, I called again to reconfirm the time and was told the flight would arrive only at 2am on Saturday. At about 2am, when I called again, I was told it would arrive between 4.30am and 4.45am.
My son and I reached the airport at about 4.15am on Saturday. Though we scanned each Indian passenger who arrived, to our distress, our housekeeper was nowhere to be seen. I approached the information counter where an officer directed me to the Air India Express counter in the departure hall and gave me the phone number of the Air India office at the airport. To my disappointment, the Air India Express counter was not open and I could get no answer from the phone number.
Later, I went to the Air India Express counter in the departure hall, which was now open. Finally, after a few hours of waiting, Ms Nurzuzan Ahmad managed to get a list of passengers on IX 684 and confirmed that my housekeeper's name was there and that she was on the plane.
Later, I returned to the information counter in the arrival hall and asked to speak to the service quality manager. One Ms Tan attended to me.
I explained the situation and asked her to help me search for my housekeeper, who could be wandering around the airport. I even managed to retrieve my housekeeper's photo from my Facebook webpage in an Internet cafe to speed up the search. It was during this time that I received a call from my housekeeper that she had arrived on IX 682 at about 9.30am and not IX 684.
I told my son to look out for my housekeeper while I went to meet Ms Nurzuzan. When I told her my housekeeper had called and she was on IX 682 and not IX 684, she was dumbfounded. She said the listing she received showed my housekeeper's name on IX 684 and not IX 682.
When there is a flight delay by a substantial number of hours, why are duty managers from Air India Express not there to answer queries on passengers? How did my housekeeper's name end up on the IX 684 listing when when she was actually on IX 682?
According to Ms Nurzuzan, when she finally brought up the matter to the Air India Express manager, Mr Sunny, she was told to handle the matter. How can the manager brush off such a query lightly? My son and I spent hours worrying, searching, running from one place to another looking for my housekeeper and talking to her family members. Her family was worried sick.
I am appalled by the service of Air India Express. This was further affirmed when my housekeeper told me that though the flight was delayed from 12.30pm last Friday to 12.30am on Saturday, she was not given any food until 5pm on Friday. I do not understand how an established airline like Air India Express can treat its passengers like this.
K.D. Leena (Ms)
