Mohandas Pai flays Indigo Airlines for 'poor' passenger treatment, AC issue on flight
Bengaluru, Dec 30: Former Infosys CFO T V Mohandas Pai criticised Indigo Airlines for its alleged poor treatment of passengers during a recent flight, claiming inadequate air conditioning.
In a post on the social media platform 'X' on December 29, Pai shared his experience aboard flight 6E 7407 in Bengaluru, saying, "Indigo treats its passengers badly. Sitting in 6E 7407 without AC on hot tarmac in Bengaluru. No way to treat passengers. Only after protest, staff used a tarmac generator for AC. Please change your protocol."
However, a source from Indigo Airlines told PTI that the aircraft involved was an ATR, a Franco-Italian model, where the air conditioning system only operates while the aircraft is in flight.
The source explained that on the ground, the AC doesn’t function because the aircraft's engines are not running at full power, and the hydraulic pressure required to run the air conditioning packs is unavailable. Additionally, the cooling fans in the system rely on the aircraft’s propeller, which is not spinning while parked.
Responding to Pai's post, Indigo Airlines assured him that his feedback would be shared with the relevant team for review.
"Sir, thank you for taking the time to meet our airport team. At Indigo, customer comfort is of utmost importance to us," the airline said.
"We assure you that your feedback is noted, and we will share it with the concerned team for necessary review. We appreciate your patience and understanding."
Indigo treats its passengers badly. Sitting in 6E 7407 without AC on hot tarmac in Bengaluru. No way to treat passengers. Only after protest staff using tarmac generator for AC. Pl change your protocol @IndiGo6E @RamMNK @AAI_Official
— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) December 29, 2024
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
