Virgin sacks 13 over Facebook use

Virgin Atlantic has sacked 13 cabin crew staff after they criticised the airline's safety standards and insulted passengers on a social networking website, it has been revealed. Skip related content

The airline said the employees' behaviour was "totally inappropriate" and "brought the company into disrepute".

In a statement, the airline said: "Virgin Atlantic can confirm that 13 members of its cabin crew will be leaving the company after breaking staff policies due to totally inappropriate behaviour.

"Following a thorough investigation, it was found that all 13 staff participated in a discussion on the networking site Facebook, which brought the company into disrepute and insulted some of our passengers.

"It is impossible for these cabin crew members to uphold the high standards of customer service that Virgin Atlantic is renowned for if they hold these views."

A spokesman for the airline said: "There is a time and a place for Facebook. But there is no justification for it to be used as a sounding board for staff of any company to criticise the very passengers who ultimately pay their salaries.

"Virgin Atlantic staff are known for their world-class customer service and there is no place in our business for anyone who behaves otherwise.

"We have numerous internal channels for our staff to feed back legitimate and appropriate issues relating to the company."

Jet Airways lays off cabin crew

Jet Airways lays off cabin crew

Jet Airways has laid off 800 employees as it cuts flights amid soaring costs.

India’s largest private airline said cabin crew hired for a planned expansion programme, which had been suspended, would lose their jobs.

Jet said it expected to cut more jobs. Its announcement follows a recent cost-cutting alliance with India’s second largest private airline, Kingfisher.

The two airlines, which have nearly 60 per cent of the market in India, said the rise in the price of jet fuel by a quarter this year was a major factor in wanting to join forces in order to cut costs.

“As a first step, around 800 flight attendants, recently recruited for the planned expansion programme, which has now been suspended, have been released,” Jet Airways said in a statement.

“The other categories include probationary and unconfirmed personnel in other areas, including cockpit crew and management personnel, to reflect the lower number of flights and seats offered.”

The airline said it will be offering 15 per cent fewer flights than scheduled this winter because of “declining traffic volumes”.