From time to time, Air India is in the news for the wrong reasons. Last year, there were reports of two pilots dozing off in the cockpit. The flight reportedly overshot its destination before the air traffic control was able to wake them up. We also read about an airline carrying extra passengers seated in the cockpit and on the cabin crew seats. Then there was the recent strike in which a section of the executive pilots went on a four-day strike to protest a cut in their incentives. The latest is the news of the mid-air scuffle on its Sharjah-Lucknow flight.
Once the nation’s pride, Air India has deteriorated due to poor service, unhygienic pantry and callous crew members. We thank the private airlines, which at least give us an option.
S. Karthik,
Dindigul
Incidents such as the mid-air scuffle on an Air India flight can take place only in public sector undertakings. This is because the tolerance level in PSUs is very high. As one who worked in a nationalised bank, I have come across many incidents involving irresponsible behaviour by employees. In one instance, a verbal duel broke out between a clerk and an officer in the presence of a public sector insurance company manager who had come to our bank. As the branch manager, I was wondering how to put an end to it when the insurance company manager advised me not to interfere. “Such things happen in my office too,” he said. Employees in PSUs get away with irresponsible behaviour because of misplaced compassion and sympathy.
D.V. Raja Rao,
Jaipur
