Blow to Jet sparks refund panic

Kolkata: When Jet Airways announced its decision to suspend operations on Wednesday, it left executives in corporate houses and the travel trade fraternity in shock.

But for the 800-odd airline employees and 1,000-plus contractual staff, it wasn’t a surprise. Many had seen the writing on the wall months ago. But most hoped the turbulence would pass.

Though the airline had discontinued all flights from Kolkata last week, the news of pan-India suspension fr-om Thursday triggered panic calls from hundreds who had booked flights months in advance. A travel agent told TOI she had received more than 20 calls from clients seeking refunds for cancelled flights. “We will do our best to process all the requests but cannot make the refund till we receive it from the airline. Given the current situation, I doubt the airline is in a position to refund the money in the near future,” she said.

With summer vacation less than a month away, many have firmed up travel plans. Now, with flights cancelled and refund of fares from several thousand to a few lakh uncertain, many are staring at cancelling their holidays. “Many customers who were travelling to western Europe had booked on Jet. For a family of four, the to-and-fro fare amounts to nearly Rs 2.5-3 lakh,” a travel agent said.

Industrialist Harsh Neotia, who has travelled business class on the airline for years, says he had spotted the downslide when services dipped in the past year or two. “At one time, Jet was among the best in the world. As a flyer, it is a setback,” he said.

A Jet official said the first hint of rough weather had come almost 10 months ago wh-en the company began desperate cost-cutting measures.

Some employees read the warning signs and quit. Of the 800-odd employees, around 350 remain. The rest were asked to leave or had quit to take up jobs in other airlines and sectors like hospitality and sales. Those who stayed back wish they hadn’t.

Trinamool Dum Dum candidate Saugata Roy visited the airport on Wednesday and expressed solidarity wi-th the movement of contractual staff on dharna. An employee said: “The PM got the SpiceJet founder to rescue the airline when it went into a tailspin five years ago. In case of Jet, founder Naresh Goyal arrived with his bid after the deadline had lapsed. It is a sham. Why don’t all political parties commit to save the carrier and lives of 18,000 families affected directly and 100,000 families that will be indirectly hit if the airline shuts down permanently?”