For revenue generation, which is what will sustain the airline, the national carrier needs to improve management-employee relations, rebuild its customer base and relearn lessons about quality of service
The consortium of banks has done its bit to rescue Air India. The government of India, led by the Civil Aviation Ministry, has sewn together a Rs.30,000-crore bailout plan for the airline. But this alone is insufficient to revive the ailing Air India, once known as the “Maharajah.” Whether the airline can overcome its existential crisis is now almost entirely up to its management and staff.
Both have erred repeatedly. Air India has not been known for good management practices, nor have the government and the political leadership allowed the national carrier to function on sound, independent, commercial lines. On their part, the employees especially the highly-paid pilots, have often held the airline and its passengers to ransom through strikes, protests and by reporting “sick.” The government has also failed, most often, in providing professional leadership and management to the airline, invariably posting a “babu” to run the airline, without giving him a free hand.
So how can Air India really come out of this mess and start rebuilding its image and brand loyalty? Obviously, revenue generation alone can sustain the airline and ensure that the lending banks and the government not only get back the loans and advances received till date, but also start getting a dividend on their investments.
Three factors
For this to happen, three factors are key: industrial relations, customer relations, and quality of service to passengers. Paying attention to these could help Air India get back traffic and generate the revenue to recoup the airline. From a market share of over 60 per cent even when the aviation sector was opened to private competition, to just about 17 per cent now, Air India has managed to steadily lose out on its passenger and cargo traffic over the years. Even Union Ministers and bureaucrats try to avoid flying Air India, though they are not above doing their best to misuse the airline when they cannot twist the arms of a private airline's management.
Whatever the conditionalities that the banks may weave into the terms for rescheduling the airline's loans, and irrespective of the amount of money the Centre pumps into Air India, nothing can succeed without good industrial relations. Trade unions and employees must realise that this is not the time for agitations or demands. They have to ensure that the airline survives and recovers lost ground. Negotiations, with a clear approach of give-and-take, must be the only instrument to redress grievances; not strikes, nor the work-to-rule agitations. After all, if salaries and dues have to be paid, traffic has to pick up.
Customer relations
As for customer relations, Air India needs to build new bridges, new agreements with States, corporates, exporters and importers to get them on board. Right now, ordinary passengers and India Inc. have lost faith in the airline on account of the strikes, the cancellations, and the rescheduling of flights. The airline's frequent flier programme has all but collapsed because of the mess that the national carrier finds itself in today.
Above all, the quality of service is something that Air India needs to relearn from its rivals. From the check-in counters, to the cabin crew, to the refreshments served on board, and the handling of special guests or frequent fliers, it is the way that passengers are received and treated that endears them to an airline. Even at the height of its recent crisis, Kingfisher staff bustled around in airport terminals, fussing around passengers. Jet Airways too gives its guests, especially frequent fliers and business class passengers, the full treatment. Despite being a low-cost airline, with no variety in its on-board refreshments that have to be paid for separately, Indigo has consciously built its image and brand with its clean and punctual service. As for international flights, the less said about treatment of Indians on Air India the better. But these days, not even Indians are willing to take this airline, except perhaps the flights to the Gulf.
Now that the much touted “Dreamliner” 787 aircraft will be joining the Air India fleet, the time appears ripe for the airline to begin a massive reconstruction exercise — to rebuild the airline, its image, and brand loyalty. If this attempt succeeds, the Centre must look for the earliest opportunity to disinvest in the airline, or search for a strategic partner to take over the management of the airline to make it efficient and commercially viable. That seems to be best option for a bright future.
jayanth@thehindu.co.in
Keywords: Air India, Air India bailout, rebuilding Air India, Air India financial crisis, pilots' agitation
I live in Canada and only once I flew by Air India because I had no choice. In the whole world one of the WORST managed airlines is Air India. The pilots and other staff of Air India do not care for passengers . They strike work and put the lives of these passengers to great risk. Look at the way Singapore Airlines is managed. TO run a company profitably you need professionalism which lacks in Air India.The best way is to liquidate Air India and let other airlines fly passengers.
Let me point out some simple differences between AI and other airlines in India. When I travel by any other, the staff always treat me like they are on my side, and deal with the airline "for" me. With AI, I feel like I am not really wanted, but they'll put up with me since I bought a ticket.
There was a time with AI's food was great. It is now terrible on many sectors. Other airlines at the very least don't make a mess of it.
The way fellow Indian passengers behave on AI flights is terrible. I don't blame AI staff for being rude more than half the time. This is not going to change, as long as Indian passengers imagine AI staff to be at their beck and call like their servants. Employ foreigners with white skin, and this will change dramatically, though!
There is nothing wrong with shutting down AI. It is a loss and a shame for the nation as it is. Let the government buy its planes and use them exclusively for their VIPs.
No one is surprised.
Ask any Indian living abroad about two things they hate to do.
1. Going to the Indian High Commission/ Embassy
2. Going by Air India
Both have complete disregard for courtesy and behave like most behave in India. They are rude, authoratative and lack an understanding about decency or fairness.
During the 35 years, I travelled by Air India only once and decided that I will never again use them.
It is time they evolve into something likable.
The Government of India as well as the Management of Air India should be firm and sack the striking pilots. Regarding the suggestion of many to close down the airline, I wish to bring the situation in Saudi Arabia - as an example. Air India has informally shut down all flights to Saudi Arabia. And all the other airlines have simply doubled the airfares. None of the airlines have increased the capacity by adding flights or flying bigger planes. The poor expat worker is terribly hit (dont be under the impression that every expat in Gulf is well-to-do. There are millions who are here earning peanuts and who can afford to visit their families only once in two or three years).
So instead of closing down the airline, let the pilots be sacked, fresh recruitment done and there be professional management. Think of the poor expat worker as well.....
Seeing some of the comments,I need to insist on one thing, Democratic does not mean lack of accountablity. Selling tickets and offer services or ferry people to destinations is not Fedral goverments cup of tea.. It has to be by PVT sector!!!
Being a passionate Indian and an NRI for last 24 years, Ihave never used AI for my Journey. It always had a negative image and it is high time GOV. slips it away...
It is 'high noon' for Air India, as is the case for many aspects of
the 'old' Indian way of going about things in its post-Independence
world. While many smaller, less promising countries such as those in
SEAsia have gone on to prosper, India is crumbling, even the best
legacies of the Brits, such as their fine architecture, railways, etc
are all crumbling before our eyes. Add to it the various legislative,
executive and judicial crumbling and you quickly realise India is on a
path to self-destruction, as its 1.3bn people's fate is at stake.
Air India's pilots should have woken everyday to see how SIA for some
30+ years was stealing its rightful passengers, and now Air Asia puts
them to shame, everyday. When is some level of self-pride ever going
to come to India I ask, my heart bleeds, as I am Indian, but luckily,
not of its nationality.
I fear the worse is still ahead....much worse.
One agrees with the bad customer service, inordinate delay, rudeness etc etc. But Indian passengers are also to blame. Indians treat AI as a bus. They believe ALL rules are there to be broken. They feel entitled. I have been forced to travel AI and the passengers behavior was appalling. I really pity the service personnel on the long haul flights. They treat them so badly. Where as they will abide by rules and cough out the extra fees - the moment a foreign airlines mentions it. I stopped flying AI primarily because of fellow passengers - now Lufthansa is getting there. BA ground staff are rude using security procedures as excuse Back to AI, the staff reflect the same attitude as that of their clients. RESPECT is not one way street. It is good that they return the same - probably it IS the only language WE the traveling public UNDERSTAND.PUBLIC has NO RIGHT to COMPLAIN. My exp. is from Intl flights.Disclaimer: No I am not associated with AI or IA or none of my family members are.
We cannot afford to let our national air carrier sink, or become privately owned and operated. One of the important reasons for the airline's consistent loss of revenue is the fact that as a national carrier, AI is bound to fly to non-viable airports, to provide national connectivity. This aspect is not explored in the article, and the article simply highlights the faults of the management of the airline. We need our national carrier to provide vital connectivity links within and outside our nation. We cannot expect AI, like any other PSU, to function purely based on the arithmetic of profit. Sure, we need to revamp AI, and the striking employees need to come back without demands. But, as Indians, we also need to support the Government decision to bail out the ailing airline, and bear with unavoidable inconveniences at least till its immediate difficulties are over. There is no point in unduly criticizing the airline, when you are not doing anything to help, at all.
The best thing that can happen to AI - since independence! - is that it's sold out to Singapore Airlines - with a view to re-establishing its business model and private cum state equity.
Dear Sir, Kindly privatise Air India as all of India wants other good airlines to become profitable. I believe with Air India closed even Kingfisher will become profitable soon as they can also be able to charge atleast 2 times more then the current ticket cost. With Air India operations curtailed due to strike, all our favourite airlines are earning huge money by just hiking the ticket fare by 20-50%. We all know that poor indians are willing to pay more money(in some cases even double the current amount) for better services. Hope the Govt soon closes Air India.....
Good article definatly on the ailing state of national airline. Hardly anybondy wants to fly with AIR INDIA any more. Better option for government is to sell it ot private cos adn then see the boom in this airline. Govenrment should stop funding this sector with our money.
The bailout plan of 30000 crore was a mistake. After this now pilots are
confirmed that their jobs are secure. Govt. will do anything to save the
airline whether it is the issue of prestige of nation or UPA. Right now
the solution to this issue is disinvestment, as no. of PSUs are making
profit of crore. This will not only keep the flag of nation high but
also solve the staff's issues with management.
As a hyper mile frequent flier (4.5 million miles logged over the last 15 years spread over 3 major carriers).
A few comments: 1) Yes Air India can be better managed and its staffers professionally trained. 2) There are a tremendous number of Indian citizens living in the west who literally love Air India - it is time to cash in on this goodwill. 3)Privatization is not the solution, if India can host the Commonwealth Games, have a functional metro in Delhi and posses nuclear deterrence, running a top notch airline is a piece of cake. 4) The author has probably not traveled on AI recently (last 60 days), my experiences were far superior -all my flights from Chennai-Delhi and Delhi-Chicago arrived at their destinations on time. Sure they has some shortcomings but which airline does not? 5)I have found the staff quite polite but a tad detached. 6) As far as treating Indians, perhaps you should travel on BA and Lufthansa and American Airlines to experience some distilled racism.
There is always a second chance. Air India can fly again. Again - i say 'can'; not 'will'. Start by shutting down the airline for 1 year. Get rid of the Unions - all of them. Next get rid of management people who are deadwood - well past their prime. Bring in a new team - people who have actually worked in airline business and just some IAS officer needing a posting. Don't bring in any IAS/IPS/I... officers. Restructure routes/aircraft. Clean up pilots/engineers/flightcrews numbers. Sell spare aircraft. Reboot. Start again.
It has been known to everybody in the world that Indian airlines and Air India have the least salary ,emoluments and all other facilities than any foreign airlines pilots .The pilots are really disgraced when count on the same platform when other airlines even operating in India itself.Is it a good experience ? Indian pilots are quiet simple but efficient than any foreign. Takeoff and landing are like crafted. We feel confident in the hands of Indian pilots when they are on board .Really they deserve than a 4 star.If you go through a survey you can understand the ratio of air accidents are less with our pilots. Ministry has to accept all their demands and conserve time. Government have more money to waste through defense buying costliest war planes 1 lac crore rupees for 126 planes 18000 crore for 12 trainer planes by making China,Pakistan and Iran inflated like a child.
Indeed its a nice article to read. My opinion is that government should provide money and good managers to Air India so that it can become the national carrier again. Management and Pilots should think of a common way to resolve problems rather than going on strikes. We all should support this because India is known by Air India to outside world. What will you think about a country which cannot even support/run its national airline.
This is the clear case of madness or what we call democracy. Pilots or
the staff have forgotten they are in a esteemed airline which is
representing the growing country, but this is the same attitude as
throwing garbage in streets but cant walk up to a garbage bin to drop
it. My suggestion to the remedy is to privatize the airline and let the
bold business managed companies to remove the outspoken and give chance
to the once who are waiting for long.
Why call this aa national carrier. Other airlines are not national or what. I would call it irrational airliner. After all thousands of crores of our hard earned money is being poured into this company. Why? can somebody tell me. I would personally believe that this air lines should be privatised and the money obtained in the process be used to reduce our fiscal deficit.
You convieniently missed the most important points:
1)When AirIndia had monopoly in Gulf routes,the attitude of the
Management & Staff was lavish. Profit due to monopoly was wasted in
uncontrolled spending. In 1980s,with crude at Us $18 per barrel
AirIndia charged Dhs2700/-DXB-MAA(Return).Thanks to politicians,the
high profit yielding routes were surrendered to newly started airlines
from GULF.Presently We can fly same route for as low as Dhs 750 with
peak of Dhs 1400/- when Us $100/-per barrel.Gulf airlines are still
running in profit!!
The cost of Pilots & in flight staff is insignificant and hence not
reason for the losses.Unaccountability for others,contribute to small
part of losses.
2)Profit in the Gulf operators stem from the way they control
purchases & utilisation of aircraft/capital expenditures.
Improper Control on spending is reason for disaster contributed by
politician controlled management.
3)Indigo is running prifitably-few others NOT-WHY?
Management
R.Natarajan
Government has no business running an airline. Period.
Why should there be at all a national Airline, particularly like the bleeding Air India? It's time to close it down and settle all employees' dues. There is no point in wasting public resources on a ever-losing company. Let the government free itself of this liability.
My experience with Air India has always been negative. The flights arrive late and crew are
not as courteous as others. Food , of course, is a plus point.
AI has to mend its way if it has to survive. Whenever I travel I make it a point to avoid AI because of my past experience. Even a sick airlines like KingFisher has a better customer service.They should close down this airlines and divert the funds to aid other sick airlines.
What is the need for GoI to run an Airline? It is high time it is privatised or shut down.
Lots of people thinks that Air India needs free hand to make profits
and miraculously Air India will become the best airline in the world.
This is like saying "Allow Air India management and employees to have
the cake and eat it too". What I mean is that Air India management and
employees run the company to ground, then come to govt with begging
bowl for money. This is unacceptable. After giving them money what Air
India needs is an independent and very strong oversight on the
management and employees. An honest and upright super-management
someone like ex-owner of Infosys.
love the comments and that is reality! come on...., there should be some indian government agency that shoud be faring well; let us think had and come up with a few names that needs a praise!
money from defence side is also being diverted indirectly to the air
india on a very small scale. All officers of Army, Navy, and Air force
who are entitled to travel by air on leave and on duty, are
compulsorily made to travel by indian airlines. This policy by any
means can not be justified. this policy is against rule of competition
commission of india, which ensures correct competition between various
service provider.They are paying higher ticket prices to AI, than
prices being offered by other air lines.
I guess political people are looting/misutilising air india. So there
is no need to pour more money into a bottomless tumbler.Those money
will also go in to corrupt hands.
Satymev jayate.
It is indeed a sad state of affairs for Air India. For all my personal travel, I only flew Air India from the US to India - given some very bad experiences, I have not flown Air India for the last few years. Would like to make 2 points here (1) I often find retired and current Air India employees and their families traveling on vouchers / passes with better "service" and "attention" than the real customers. I am sure that this is costing the airline a ton of money - has anyone checked this or is it something that "cannot be discussed" ?. Now that we tax payers are funding the airline, I would ask the airline to completely cancel this practice. (2) Air India needs to use this lifeline to win back customers with on time performance and superior customer services. Also for all the "uncles" and "aunties" who serve as flight attendants in Air India, please treat your customers whether they are "goras" or "indians" equally and with respect. Respect and courtesy is not a one way street..
Being a retired Air India employee with over 28 years of service, it is sad to see the present situation of a once dignified Company. My comments, for whatever it is worth, is to look into the financial expenditure of maintaining Air India offices and employees abroad. Most of the employees are well past their prime and capability of producing any benefits to the airline. In fact, a lot of the posts held today by overseas staff can be eliminated. I still wish and hope that Air India will emerge from the current situation and be the Airline it once was.
It is better to shut down this white elephant so that Rs 30K crores of tax payers money is not wasted.The average citizen of India does not require AirIndia to be afloat.Better spend that money on improving health/education infrastructure.The affordable class has alternatives.
Why bother?
Get rid of it, It is not needed anymore to India.
I too agree with all the points especially the lines he said like even indians are not willing to take up the flight is very true. Even I had a very bad experience with AirIndia, I was having a severe headace and asked hostress for a tablet if she's having. She didn't even reply and just shook her head (saying yes) and never gave the tablet till I landed in Mumbai. When it comes to cleanliness, its bad and needs improvement. Hostess must have politness and humbleness which no one has in airindia. sorry if its hurting anyone feeling, but its true.
It's frequent flyer program is one of the worst and they got kicked out of Star Alliane too. I flew I class on a trans atlantic journey and still waiting for the mileage to get recorded. As for this article, nothing new in it but a superficial analysis. For AI and IA to survive they need to cut the freebees given to former employees and children. Do readers know that a female kin of an employee can fly around the world for free througout their lives!
Air India is a terribly unique airlines. How many of their former passengers are still loyal passengers of AI? The direct flight convenience of AI to Europe and the U.S. attracted many passengers to AI, but more friendly and healthy airlines are in the market and the former passengers have left AI. The routine strikes from the top to the bottom for every silly reason caused many delays-cancellations, and that has caused greater problems to the passengers. There is no other airline in the world with so many such chronic and repeated problems, causing greater inconvenience to the paid passengers. The AI employees, over employed but keep high rank in their unfriendly treatment of the passengers.
I absolutely agree with the part about how Air India employees themselves push passengers away from the airline. While other airlines place huge impetus on how passengers are treated on the ground and in the air, Air India seems to have forgotten the one thing that drives it - its customers. Competitors like Indigo and Jet Airways have got it bang on in that aspect, Indigo with its punctuality and Jet with its Customer Service. Sadly, in AI, the staff seem to think that they are doing the
Maharaja, so that more capable people may return him to his former glory!
Air India is one among the least preferred airlines. Customers do not like to take risk on lot of drawbacks of the airlines. The improvement of management - Employees relationship is not the only solution for revival of ailing Airlines. Much is needed to be done on quality of service,customer care, punctuality, communication, competitiveness with other airlines and lastly on the service attitude of the staff.
I think whats more important today is the will to improve government-
run / public sector institutions. With the current level of scandals,
it is but natural that the government-run agencies are safe bets. With
their enormous budgets, they will be hard to let go! But for the
economy, the will to change is a more important driver at this stage.
Unfortunately, none of our government agencies seem to have had that
focus.
Privatisation is not a solution. And a recession prone industry like
Airlines needs to be appropriately derisked. Unfortunately, we are
miles away from that!
With right mind, right sense, and right approach every single thing said
in the article is possible. Whereas be it Government of India nor the
PSU's operated no one has that kind of righteousness. For change to
happen in Government, Tsunami of issues are always needed. Else no one
in any govt operated entity is willing to correct or work for the
betterment of the organization.
This is the story everybody knows. Tell us the inside story. Does anybody know why pilots have gone on strike?.Does anybody know why the pilots of jet are taking air indian pilots side?. Why the agreements entered into by the management are not adhered to. Had anybody thought that merging both the airlines will open the pandoras box which will be difficult for the so called management gurus to solve.The three factors mentioned in the article are very simple to write but difficult to execute with this type of management.I wish all the best for the airline and I deeply sympathise with the harassed public. Now the time has come to take the boldest steps and not mulling over the issue. Because travelling public has seen and endured enough.
I've been flying with AI since 2008 and yesterday was the worst one I
had with them. I had to fly from CCU to JFK via DEL. The flight AI
101(DEL-JFK) was clubbed with AI 143 (DEL-Paris). Worst food ever, bad
management and delayed flight from Paris to JFK made a bitter
experience. I paid a high price (comparatively AI prices are always
higher than others) to avail a direct flight from DEL to JFK but had to
fly 8 more hours stopping at Paris...terrible.
Its a shame for the whole nation to face with such a deadlock.The Union
minister should play a constructive role in iron out the trust 'deficit'
between the staff and the management. A lot more to be done to restore
the lost glory though its too late.
The author's observations ring true; the frequent flyer programme is
so mismanaged as to be a disincentive. For decades AI has been stuck
in the vicious downward spiral of poor service leading to poor demand
resulting in comparatively lowest airfares.
India's geography demands that India has an integrated international
and domestic network, smoothly connecting the spokes to the hubs, with
facility of overnight stays/rests for transit passengers. Yet this
basic need seems to be not understood, and a passenger cannot buy this
service on the internet. It is as if the airlines can see no
difference between a pallet of cargo and a young mother with an
infant!!
If determining strategies & policies relating to provision of services
to the citizens, regulating the airlines industry (safety, quality,
competition etc) and related businesses, are the expected roles of the
govt, successive govts have let the citizens down. Yet the govt owns &
runs (runs down?) AI/IA directly - why, WHY INDEED?
Totally agree with whats written in the post. The main thing Air India
has to do is to regain customers confidence and loyalty, especially
Indians first. Unless this happens, no matter how much money is pumped
in, the airline will keep eating up tax payers money. The staff and
crew needs to be given serious training in customer relationship, to be
a bit pleasing, kind etc. The point about the international flights is
quite true having experienced it. its been ages since I last travelled
by Air India.
Air india Can easily become a good connecting airlines, given the new
airports being constructed in main cities of India. It is upto the
management to do something about the staff and crew to make the airline
raise from slump
Why not we close down the airlines? Air India is not offering cheap fares so that common man will fly. they are also not connecting unconnected areas. they are badly managed with indifferent customer service. If they are closed nobody will be greatly inconvenienced. other airlines will take better care of the flyers. then why continue this agony ? Let us save some tax payer's money.Let the government get out of this business.
The article is well written with many valid points. But the main problem
is that many pilots do not consider that Air India is their own
organization and never bother to share its difficulties. Government can
consider entrusting the management to its employees based on a legal
agreement sensibly drawn up where they are able to play a major role in
running the organization commercially and the Government do not burn its
fingers further.
Has Jayanth flown AI and seen Cabin crew mistreating Indian pax? Or is
it the normal AI bashing that journalists resort to , to pad up the
article??
I have travelled in various airlines and always came back and settled with Air India, as my journey to India starts the moment I step in to the air craft at Heathrow. I love the professionalism, and the natural affection of the Air India cabin crew, and the smooth flights on time. The treatment of club class passengers is excellent. As the article rightly points out Air India would do well if made truly independent, without any interference from Babus.
Air India is the pride of our nation, and can easily retain and attract a large clientele, if
it is not on the head lines for wrong reasons.
Agree with most of the report, but I don't think that their frequent flyer programme has any problem. It is one of the mist attractive loyalty programmes around.
I believe in second chances, but Air India should not be given one. It has gone beyond the state of repair or remould.
Sooner or later the banks will come to grief on their unwise lending to
the airlines. This will engulf the financial sector to further gloom.
Civil aviation minister has been reported in the media of almost
accepting that the merger was a mistake. It is time that we involke
political accountability for this grave financqial mess by sacking the
minsitger who put this merger process without furller exdamination. Will
the Parliament debate this and dischzarge its duty to the nation?
As correctly pointed out only the good faith and relation between
management and Employees would bring the lost shine to airline.Most
important part is building the customer base and their loyalty.Also
management should be given freedom to take decisions.
Mr. Jayanth, As a close observer of the Civil Aviation in India since nationalization in 1953 I wish to state the following : 1) Human Resource function has to be humane and resourceful - it is neither 2) Live up to the times - adopt the best HR work practices 3) Empower people, give them opportunity to grow and develop themselves, otherwise they lose their self confidence and self esteem 4) Reward good work, Punish poor performance - neither happens today, this twin combination is a disaster 5) Remove automatic promotions 6) Bring in a fair and objective appraisal system across the organization - this does not exist today, as a result the undeserved move up the ladder 7) The differentiators between the good and the bad is the common sense called "Management" which is the key to the success of any business 8) Learn from history - from within and also globally
When all of these are taken care of, there will be a holistic improvement in the Organization and its approach to business.
Is this what happening in every public sector company now a days. Slowly more companies will join the race of getting disinvested just because of existing management.
Even if they stop appointing a babu and bring in a seasoned private management guy, skeletons do fall out. Like the abuse of the airlines by the politicians to fly their in-laws, without any regard of cost they have the nerve to change the aircraft itself. Will any non-babu agree to that? I guess not. He would be left with a choice of quitting or go along with the politico's demand that the aircraft be changed because all his family members could not get a business class seat. Who's incharge here? I am. UPA II. We are bound by our coalition dharma. India can never escape coalition dharma in the future, because no single party will ever be able to win the absolute majority.
Most people who can afford a few more bucks prefer to fly on any other airline than AI. Why? Poor customer service, yes like nobody can do anything to them attitude. When Sabena was still flying the skies, the ground service was handled by AI staff, we might have a little heavy luggage, the guy who was handling us had such a poor customer service skills, we were so amazed. When calling my travel agent, I say anything but AI. Now the day of truth is coming. They must just fold and go home. Jet Airways is a 100 times better. Abolish unions and fire a few trouble making union people to start, then maybe, i mean maybe you can survive.
Here’s an idea to solve all problems associated with Air India: stop flying! Air India treats Indian passengers like cattle. Despite all gains India Inc. has made in the last few decades, Air India remains a symbol of “incorrigible India”. If I am asked to summarize all negative adjectives in English into few words, I can do it two: Air India. I will never fly Air India.
One is looking at one of the greatest mismanagement of any company in India. Highly blotted with, arguably, double the number of employees required,their privileges and world renowned poor customer service. Combine both and you will get 'Titanic' of a business!!
Wonderful article. But something tells me that whatever the airline does will be too little
and too late, just like all government companies.
Good article. Unbiased. Keep it up Mr Jayanth. Allow this company to run on a free hand and then watch the difference. But will the corridors do it?
Thank you for a great commentary on the state of affairs of Air India and the remedy to the grave situation it is in today. How can a poor developing country like India afford to own an passenger airline and provide crores of subsidy every year just to keep the airline afloat! The money will be better spent on education, health care or even defense which are indispensable for the country and where private sector has little or nothing to do with.
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