Flight Takes Off Without Raju Shetti, MP Alleges Mental Harassment
MP Raju Shetti alleges ‘negligence’ by Jet Airways staff as he misses a flight scheduled for Delhi on Wednesday.
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In yet another instance of a Maharashtra politician crying foul over unprofessional behaviour of an airline, Swabhimani Paksha party MP Raju Shetti on Wednesday alleged that Jet Airways committed “negligence” by not alerting him about the departure of flight 9W0762, which took off from Mumbai for Delhi.
Shetti’s allegation comes after Air India had barred Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad after he had assaulted a staffer on 23 March. The ban was lifted on 7 April after the Ministry of Civil Aviation directed Air India to allow the MP to board the flight, based on an undertaking submitted by Gaikwad.
The Swabhimani Paksha MP told The Quint in a statement that he duly reached Mumbai airport at 5 am to take the flight that was scheduled to depart an hour later. “Since there was some time at hand, he decided to wait in the lounge,” a statement issued by Shetti’s staff, said. The statement added that “no one turned up, so he went out to check the status, only to find to his surprise that boarding gates were closed.”
The second allegation by the parliamentarian is that when he enquired with the staff as to what options were available after missing the flight scheduled for 6 am, it was suggested that he book a ticket for a 7 am flight (Flight no. 9W0301), which cost him Rs 2,000 more on top of the original expense incurred on the ticket.
“Initially he refused to pay but the adamant airways was firm and warned him that if delayed he will miss 7:00 am flight too. For no fault of his, he had to bear cost of Rs 2,000 and mental harassment”, says the press note issued by Raju Shetti’s staff.
Sources close to the MP say that he will file a formal complaint against the concerned authorities and expects necessary action to be taken in this regard.
Meanwhile, a Jet Airways spokesperson has issued a statement, clarifying their stand on the matter: “A guest, who checked in for Jet Airways flight 9W 762, Mumbai to Delhi, of June 14, 2017, did not present himself at the boarding gate on time and was therefore considered as a “Gate No Show”.” The airline has also cleared the air on the SOP followed before the flight’s departure by stating that “ As Mumbai airport is a silent airport, no PA announcements are permitted.”
On allegations of charging extra money for booking another ticket the statement by a Jet Airways spokesperson seems to suggest that the issue has been resolved for now. “Guest was offered an alternate flight which he accepted for travel to Delhi. Apologies were tendered and charges levied inadvertently, were refunded”, quoted the press release.
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