Air India cabin crew shouldn’t have left the cockpit door unmanned, says senior crew member

MUMBAI: The cabin crew on board the Air India Delhi to Mumbai flight which was inordinately delayed last week were lax in their duties as they had failed to keep the cockpit door area sterile, said a senior Air India cabin crew member in a letter sent to the airline and the Indian aviation regulator about the incident.
The Boeing 747 jumbo jet which was to operate Air India Delhi-Mumbai flight AI-865 on January 02 had a technical problem on ground and the departure was delayed as the aircraft returned to the parking bay. The passengers had to remain seated inside the aircraft for four hours after which they were allowed to disembark.
They reboarded at 6 pm, but the aircraft returned to the gate a second time. The delay frustrated passengers, who turned unruly, while some walked up to the cockpit door and repeatedly knocked on it abusing the crew.