Airlines

Air India makes another voluntary retirement offer for staff

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Following the Tata Group’s acquisition of the losing airline in January of last year, Air India issued a voluntary retirement offer to its non-flying workers on Friday. This was the second such offer.

According to a notification, the current offer will be offered for permanent general cadre officers who are 40 years of age or older and have accomplished a minimum of five years of continuous service with the airline. Employees in the clerical and unskilled categories who have completed a minimum of five years of continuous employment will also be eligible.

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The promotion will be available till April 30th. According to sources, approximately 2,100 employees will be eligible to take advantage of the current voluntary retirement offer. The airline currently employs approximately 11,000 workers, including both flying and non-flying employees.

“The employees will also receive an ex-gratia sum as a one-time bonus if they apply for voluntary retirement between 17 March 2023 and 30 April 2023. The notification stated that eligible employees who apply by March 31, 2023, will receive an additional Rs 1 lakh over and above the ex-gratia sum.

Both flying and non-flying workers were covered in the initial voluntary retirement offer. At the time, approximately 4,200 employees were eligible, and of those, approximately 1,500 chose the offer. The strategy aims to place Air India on a course for consistent growth, financial success, and market dominance.

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Airlines

Federal Court Imposes $100M Fine on Qantas for “Ghost Flights” Scandal

In a major ruling, the Federal Court has confirmed a hefty A$100 million penalty against Qantas for its involvement in the “ghost flights” scandal. As reported by FlightGlobal.

The court found that Qantas misled consumers by offering and selling tickets for flights that the airline had already decided to cancel. Adding to the controversy, Qantas failed to promptly notify ticket holders about these cancellations.

The penalty follows Qantas’ admission of violating the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). The airline agreed with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on the penalty amount, aiming to deter Qantas and other businesses from similar breaches in the future.

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The ACCC emphasized that this substantial fine sends a clear message: misleading customers will lead to serious consequences, regardless of a company’s size. In addition to the penalty, Qantas has committed to paying approximately A$20 million to affected passengers who unknowingly purchased tickets for canceled flights.

This compensation comes on top of any refunds or alternative flight arrangements already provided. ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb praised the penalty, underscoring the importance of robust compliance programs red energy qantas in large corporations like Qantas.

She pointed out that Qantas has since made changes to its operating and scheduling procedures to prevent similar issues in the future.