AICCA has about 3,500 members. Though the numbers may be small in comparison to other unions, some members said that it was a positive outcome, which may lead to bigger support from others.

“AICCA has accepted the carrier’s proposal. However, it has not accepted it in its present form. A 50 per cent cut in PLI is too much, AICCA has asked the management to bring it down,” a union member, who did not want to be named, said.

On Wednesday evening, there was also a buzz that Jadhav has told the unions that they accept PLI cuts or the company would be handed over to the Board of Industrial Financial Reconstruction (BIFR), a body for reviving sick public firms.

The AI spokesperson, however, denied any such claim. “We have made no reference to BIFR or lock out. We can’t identify unions who have accepted our proposals. If any one them accepts then rest will also follow,” Jitendra Bhargava, AI spokesperson said.

However, other unions including aviation industry employees guild (AIEG) and the air corporation employees union (ACEU), are still sticking to their stand saying that they are not going to accept any cut in PLIs. The unions have written a letter to Jadhav with details on their wage agreements and settlements.

“Our PLIs have already come down by 40 percent since last year. There is hardly any scope to cut them further. The management must cut the PLIs of people who get higher salaries and allowances,” said an ACEU member.

The management may meet unions again. The unions said the chairman has assured to review the reduction for various categories.

“We have a very small equity base of Rs 145 crore but our aircraft acquisition plan alone is worth Rs 45,000 crore ” said Raghu Menon, chairman and managing director of Air India.

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“So we need the funds to beef up our equity base and to integrate the passenger services system of Air India and Indian Airlines,” Menon told IANS. “We will go to the civil aviation ministry very soon with a proposal.”

Air India had ordered 68 Boeing aircraft in 2006, while Indian Airlines had ordered 43 Airbus planes. Last year, the government created a new holding arm, National Aviation Company of India Ltd, to merge the two carriers.

According to the chief executive, here for a meeting among the chief executives of Star Alliance, a pact among 21 global and three regional carriers which Air India will join soon, the funds will be sought in a mix of debt and equity.

Air India cuts fares on all domestic routes

While Rs 1,500 crore will be sought as equity, the remaining Rs 1,000 crore will be requested in the form of debt, he said, adding that the earlier proposal for an public offer had been shot down for the moment.

The Air India chief also said that the complete integration of the two carriers was expected to conclude by end-2009.

“We hope to sign a contract with EDS Aviation by the end of this month for the passenger services system,” Menon said, referring to the US-based company that has provided technical and software solutions to several carriers.

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“So by the end of calendar 2009 or latest by the first quarter of 2010, you can expect Air India and Indian Airlines to both operate under one code – and that is AI,” he said. At present, Indian Airlines operates under the IC code, while Air India has AI.

“What we have already started is to have a uniform livery for the two carriers, especially on new aircraft and for those that go for ‘C’ checks.”

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Speaking about the general downturn in the aviation sector, the Air India chief said the passenger traffic – domestic and international – had dropped by 12-15 per cent for his carrier.

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He hoped for some relief if the sales tax regime for jet fuel was rationalised across the country, as it alone accounted for 35-45 per cent of the operational cost.

For this, the government will need parliament’s approval to place aviation fuel under what is called a declared good. Once a declared good, the fuel will invite a uniform sales tax of for per cent, against 35 per cent charged by some states.

They said that cabin crew of Air India Express often respond to the assistant button based on passenger appearances.

“I have come across this particular behaviour from the cabin crew a couple of times when I was flying to Kochi. A lot of Indian blue collar workers prefer to fly this airline because it is a budget airline.”

“Female crew members often delay to respond if the assistant button is pressed and in many instances, it leads to a verbal brawl,” said Vinit Gopalan a resident of Dubai.

In yet another incident a passenger reported a screaming incident by a cabin crew onboard one of the Air India Express flight originating from Calicut to Dubai. The passenger who witnessed the incident said that the exchange took place early this month on Air India Express IX 351.

“A Cabin Crew screamed towards a passenger who used his mobile phone while boarding. She then snatched the passenger’s phone. When he asked her to return his mobile phone, she pushed him in front of the fellow passengers screaming ‘Go back to your seat or otherwise I will slap you’. When fellow passengers objected to her screaming she told them off saying she had the power to slap a passenger and that she did the right thing and threatened to send away the passenger from the air craft. She refused to apologise,” said the passenger.

Shubhangi Vaidya, a customer relations officer at Air India Express said that the airline does not approve of such behaviour from the cabin crew. “If any passenger has a complaint they should immediately get in touch with the airport manager after they land. If need be complaints should be handed over in writing,” she said.

Vaidya said that complaints once received are then in forwarded to the relevant departments and a follow up is carried out.

The Air India Express has 76 pilots, of which six are women.

The flight will operate on the Chennai-Singapore-Chennai sector. The other crew members of the flight are co-pilot Captain Amrit Namdhari and cabin crew Banu, P. Bhutia, S. Divya and Binal Valand, the statement said.