Mumbai: Air India is set to introduce a revised policy for the cabin crew members of domestic and international flights, wherein certain sections of members will have to share rooms during layovers, according to sources. The revised policy will not apply to Air India Express, which recently merged with AIX Connect.

Among other changes, the source said that the allowance for cabin crew on international flights will be increased from USD 75-125 to USD 85-135.

There is no change in the allowance of Rs 1,000 per night for cabin crew on domestic flights. However, they will be entitled to a support allowance of Rs 1,000 per night.

An airline spokesperson said that with the merger of Air India and Vistara becoming formal, there is a need to harmonise these policies for employees of both organisations.

"As part of that exercise, we have communicated the changes applicable to Air India employees. The revised compensation and benefits remain competitive and are benchmarked against industry standards," the spokesperson told PTI in a statement.

As per the revised policy, cabin crew members, except in-flight managers and supervisors, will have to share rooms during stopovers, the source said.

In-flight managers and supervisors are generally senior people with at least 8-9 years of experience.

While room-sharing for cabin crew already exists at Air India Express and Vistara, this is the first time such a practice has been introduced at loss-making Air India, owned by the Tata Group.

The policy changes also come in the backdrop of a section of Air India Express cabin crew members seeking resolution of their HR issues under the labour act. The matter is pending with the Central Labour Commissioner.

Meanwhile, the Air India spokesperson also said that the airline would implement a performance-based compensation and benefits policy for all employees by April 2023.

The merger of AIX Connect with Air India Express was completed on October 1, while Vistara's integration with Air India will be completed next month.

-B