‘Meet and fleece’ service at city airport

Chennai: Staff providing the meet-and-greet service, outsourced by the airport authority, were removed from service after they demanded money over and above the prescribed charges for offering escort and trolley services to a customer.A family recently sought porterage service for senior citizens. Though the family paid 1,000, the personnel demanded another 1,000 for pushing the trolley to the exit. After the issue was escalated on social media, Chennai airport authorities responded that the personnel had been identified by the licensee and removed from service.Airport sources said that the licensee was warned that such incidents should not recur. However, frequent flyers say that the meet-and-greet personnel have become a nuisance over time. "The moment we politely refuse their service, their behaviour changes. Paying them extra has become almost mandatory," said A Sam, who recently visited her daughter in the UK.A representative of Promedia, the licensee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the company had taken over the meet-and-greet service only two months ago and that the lapse was committed by a worker who was employed with the previous licensee. "Two people have been removed and such incidents will not occur again," said the representative.Airport authority officials said that they were making efforts to keep the airport friendly for senior citizens and the differently abled by providing cab pickup at the terminal itself and extending the toll-free time for cabs to 15 minutes, instead of 10 minutes.