Air India and Vistara are set to merge on November 12, 2024, and the newly formed entity will hit the ground running with cost-saving measures.
Prior to the merger, Air India crew members overnighting at hotels were each given their own separate rooms, a practice which is common among many carriers globally. However Vistara crew members have been accustomed to sharing rooms with their colleagues, and it look like this policy will now be pushed to Air India crew members starting December 1st.
According to aviation journalist Jagriti Chandra, from December 1, 2024, regular cabin and senior cabin crew members will be required to double up per room, while Cabin Managers and Cabin Executives will still be entitled to their own rooms.
To make up for that change, the airline will bump up its international layover allowance from a previous range of US $75-125 per layover-night to US $85-135. Also, members on domestic flights will go from breakfast-only coverage to coverage of all meals. However those flying internationally will still only be covered for breakfast (most likely because of the timing of the flight).
When asked about the changes, an Air India spokesperson said:
“As part of that exercise, we have communicated the changes applicable to Air India employees. The revised compensation and benefits continue to be competitive and benchmarked to industry standards.”
Air India’s crew members have expressed disappointment with the change, with the biggest complaint being that different sleeping pattern between two members could be disruptive during rest periods.
When asked to comment about the change, one of India’s aviation safety expert Mohan Ranganathan said that, “It seems management is clueless about fatigue and safety.”
Featured image: Airbus SAS