Airline 'appalled' by images of blow-up doll, spitting attendant
Air New Zealand’s management said it is “shocked and appalled” by social media posts made by its flight crews.
The posts include images of a blow-up doll posing with a pilot in the cockpit and a video of a flight attendant spitting water in an empty cabin along with the caption: “Wish I could spit on passengers like this.”
The images appear to be more than a year old, but they nonetheless have ignited a media firestorm in New Zealand after being unearthed by local media there.
Air New Zealand, a carrier often lauded for its passenger-friendly service and amenities, said it had launched an investigation into the matter. Already, a pilot and flight attendant have been suspended and another employee fired, according to The Times of London.
An Air New Zealand spokeswoman told The New Zealand Herald that the carrier was "shocked and appalled" by the images.
"We expect the highest standards of behavior and respect from all our staff," she added to the Herald.
Air New Zealand said the social media posts had only been brought to the airline’s attention within the past two days and that the company immediately launched an investigation.
"We believe the video was produced about four years ago and the photos were taken more than a year ago," a spokeswoman said to New Zealand news site Stuff.
"One of the staff members concerned no longer works for Air New Zealand and the other two have been removed from duties pending the outcome of our investigation,” the spokeswoman continued in a statement to Stuff. "It goes without saying that this is a situation we are treating with extreme seriousness -- and our obvious concern is that the behavior displayed is a clear breach of not just our code of conduct but basic decency."
Passenger shaming: Fair or foul?
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