13 June,2014 06:23 AM IST | | Vedika Chaubey and Neha LM Tripathi
Unsuspecting passengers at T2 are asked to shell out big bucks, often in foreign currency, just to be dropped to the exit gate; the touts are airline and airport staffers themselves. Watch the video
T2 at Mumbai airport
Touted as a swanky, one-of-its-kind terminal, it turns out even T2 isn't immune to the touting problem. And, a unique one at that.
The touts here are not from outside, as is usually the case, but airport and airline staffers themselves. They make unsuspecting passengers shell out as much as $20 (Rs 1,200) just to drop them to the exit gate.
Also read: Pay Rs 110 for a two-minute parking at T2
This man asked for $20 to transport luggage to the exit
Modus operandi
"Some airline staffers hide a set of trolleys, so that the passengers can't find them. The passengers then approach the staffers, who offer to find a trolley and drop them to their vehicles in exchange for an amount picked at random, usually around $20.
There is a shortage of trolleys at the luggage conveyor belts in the arrival lounge. Pic for representation
Left with no choice, and also because they trust that an airline or airport staffer wouldn't try to loot them, the passengers tend to agree," said a loader from the arrivals section.
Also read: Mumbai auto drivers fleece passengers at T2 with 'entry fee'
"Passengers, both Indian and foreign, who come to the terminal for the first time usually fall for this trap, thinking maybe this is how it works. Touting was common at the old terminal and it is sad to see it making its way, and that too by staff themselves, to the new terminal," said an airport official.
