Mexican consumers warned as Interjet tries to pay staff

Interjet (4O, Toluca) promised its employees on the evening of November 4 that it would transfer at least one fortnight of back wages this week, even though one of its owners, Alejandro del Valle, admitted that the airline had no money. Staff confirmed to local media the following day that if payment was not made they would stop work this weekend. They said they had not been paid since September and some benefits such as uniform allowances and housing and insurance credits had been unpaid since March. Mexico’s Secretariat for Home Affairs organised the meeting between owners and workers at the carrier’s offices at México City Int’l airport, which came in the wake of two days when the airline cancelled all of its flights because it could not meet its fuel bills. Mexico’s consumer rights watchdog (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor – Profeco) warned consumers in a statement on November 3 against booking flights with the airline. According to the airline, the cancellations on November 1 and 2 affected 2,690 passengers, but Profeco put the number at 3,099. “Under current conditions, Interjet does not provide certainty, equity, or legal security to consumers in their commercial relationship, with measures that guarantee the effectiveness and fulfilment of their obligations,” the consumer rights watchdog said. After the meeting, del Valle told workers gathered outside the offices that the situation was complicated for the airline due to poor cash flow and unpaid tax commitments, for which he partly blamed the government. Interjet still aims to find new investors to allow it to add up to 16 aircraft to its fleet and increase capacity, thereby attracting more passengers, he claimed, local media reported. “A company with 5,000 employees can’t survive with four aircraft, it can’t,” he said. Interjet currently operates four SSJ 100/95s out of a total owned fleet of 21 of the aircraft type, according to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module.