Moving onto the next one. Another white elephant of our society, Air India, is going bust. And just before the government was all set to come out with a disinvestment plan. Air India employees sure have a sense of timing. As is the story with other airlines, the management of the airlines sure is trying its best to land the jumbo on flat tires. But hey, wait! The brakes are burnt too! So who's gonna stop the crash? We the taxpayers, of course! I am really saddened by the way Air India has been continuously losing its sheen over the years. It has been a constant run downhill. And I think the problem started on the day government said, "Thanks J.R.D., we'll takeover the reins of the Centaur (Air India's then logo) now and don't worry, its in safe hands."
I happen to remember an incident when the then Civil Aviation Minister Mr. Madhavrao Scindia got the brilliant idea of changing the logo from the Centaur to a golden Sun on a red background. This act of his pushed Air India into the red because AI did not have enough cash on its balance sheet to repaint all the aircraft in its fleet. I cannot fathom why our ministers always focused on grandiose plans for AI but never focused on one area that helps an airline more than anything else. Customer service. With such a wide network and excellent pilots and technical ground staff, if there was anything AI lacked, it was the customer service. And it continues to do so. OK, the mascot is a Maharaja, to give you a feeling that you will be treated as a Maharaja once you are aboard the aircraft. But, unfortunately it is not the case. Almost every employee (barring a few) feels that he or she is a Maharaja or a Maharani (as the case maybe) and every passenger who gets on board is a peasant destined to the misery of air travel. Otherwise how can you explain the indifference that starts right from the ground staff who don't give a hoot about how to handle your baggage, or where it is supposed to go? This attitude of indifference stems from the fact that they know that their jobs are secure no matter what they do (or don't do). In case any action is taken against them, the employees' union will go on a strike. More about that later.
In these times, for the airlines to be successful, what matters is good customer service which I should say does not cost more than offering the same service with a little more care and of course, a smile. But the crew and staff of AI never seem to understand this. I have seen my friends fly AI (with pride because it was an Indian airline) come back dejected and frustrated with the kind of service they got. The two times I had to fly AI, it was an experience not worth remembering. One time, they almost stranded me in Changi’s transit lounge where a not so nice Indian born (un-aptly named Bhagat Singh) Singaporean accused me of traveling to Singapore without onward reservation because I was planning to slip into Singapore as an illegal (perhaps he or his forefathers must have done just that). AI had conveniently forgotten to update the online system with my reservation details. My baggage was dumped outside the transit area and I had no way of claiming it because I did not have a visa to go outside. Fortunately for me, a nice lady at the immigration desk granted me a 24-hour visa (after hearing my story) to go into the departures area, claim my baggage and check-in again. I had to spend the whole night in the terminal waiting for AI’s Singapore office to open up the next day and clear up the issue. Tom Hanks’ ‘Terminal’ still reminds me of that long night in Changi. Moral of the story: As much as I hate to say this, never fly AI again. Especially if you are an Indian.
As I mentioned before, the indifference could be because the AI employees think their jobs are safe since they have the loving protection of the State and no matter what they do (or don't do), they'll get their paycheck. If they don’t get a raise or get paid on time, they can go on a strike and hit the passenger where it hurts him/her the most. Cancel the flights and ground everyone. Not nice. I am sure that these employees make more money than an average Indian. They have their own housing colonies at prime locations and of course other perks which are unheard of in other professions. Great managers like Russi Mody and Y. Deveshwar were unable to manage AI and quit, thanks to an unrelenting and rigid employees' union, pilots' union, cabin crews' union, ground staff union, etc. You name a role, the employees have a union for it. And the Ministry of Civil Aviation never actually was effective against these unions. But, unfortunately, all of these unions and the Ministry were never unionized in trying to making a passenger feel less miserable while traveling with them. What more can I say? Yes, a word about the Centaur hotels managed by AI. The less said the better. Anybody who’s given this hotel chain a five star or a four star rating was not in his real senses or never knew what those ratings meant. Classic case of bad management. ‘Nuff said.
Despite having said all this, for me, AI had always been the connection with distant lands since my childhood. Those funny ads of the Maharaja flying to Oslo, Amsterdam, New York and other places are still fresh in my mind. I am sure it is the case with other people too. It would be safe to say, that for a long time, the Maharaja was the most recognized character after the Amul baby. Which is why it makes me sadder still that AI is going belly up. A fine example of bad management and rampant indifference. AI get your act together and get moving. Bigger airlines have faltered despite being good airlines. The government might bail you out despite your bad ass attitude but people won't stand you much longer.
I happen to remember an incident when the then Civil Aviation Minister Mr. Madhavrao Scindia got the brilliant idea of changing the logo from the Centaur to a golden Sun on a red background. This act of his pushed Air India into the red because AI did not have enough cash on its balance sheet to repaint all the aircraft in its fleet. I cannot fathom why our ministers always focused on grandiose plans for AI but never focused on one area that helps an airline more than anything else. Customer service. With such a wide network and excellent pilots and technical ground staff, if there was anything AI lacked, it was the customer service. And it continues to do so. OK, the mascot is a Maharaja, to give you a feeling that you will be treated as a Maharaja once you are aboard the aircraft. But, unfortunately it is not the case. Almost every employee (barring a few) feels that he or she is a Maharaja or a Maharani (as the case maybe) and every passenger who gets on board is a peasant destined to the misery of air travel. Otherwise how can you explain the indifference that starts right from the ground staff who don't give a hoot about how to handle your baggage, or where it is supposed to go? This attitude of indifference stems from the fact that they know that their jobs are secure no matter what they do (or don't do). In case any action is taken against them, the employees' union will go on a strike. More about that later.
In these times, for the airlines to be successful, what matters is good customer service which I should say does not cost more than offering the same service with a little more care and of course, a smile. But the crew and staff of AI never seem to understand this. I have seen my friends fly AI (with pride because it was an Indian airline) come back dejected and frustrated with the kind of service they got. The two times I had to fly AI, it was an experience not worth remembering. One time, they almost stranded me in Changi’s transit lounge where a not so nice Indian born (un-aptly named Bhagat Singh) Singaporean accused me of traveling to Singapore without onward reservation because I was planning to slip into Singapore as an illegal (perhaps he or his forefathers must have done just that). AI had conveniently forgotten to update the online system with my reservation details. My baggage was dumped outside the transit area and I had no way of claiming it because I did not have a visa to go outside. Fortunately for me, a nice lady at the immigration desk granted me a 24-hour visa (after hearing my story) to go into the departures area, claim my baggage and check-in again. I had to spend the whole night in the terminal waiting for AI’s Singapore office to open up the next day and clear up the issue. Tom Hanks’ ‘Terminal’ still reminds me of that long night in Changi. Moral of the story: As much as I hate to say this, never fly AI again. Especially if you are an Indian.
As I mentioned before, the indifference could be because the AI employees think their jobs are safe since they have the loving protection of the State and no matter what they do (or don't do), they'll get their paycheck. If they don’t get a raise or get paid on time, they can go on a strike and hit the passenger where it hurts him/her the most. Cancel the flights and ground everyone. Not nice. I am sure that these employees make more money than an average Indian. They have their own housing colonies at prime locations and of course other perks which are unheard of in other professions. Great managers like Russi Mody and Y. Deveshwar were unable to manage AI and quit, thanks to an unrelenting and rigid employees' union, pilots' union, cabin crews' union, ground staff union, etc. You name a role, the employees have a union for it. And the Ministry of Civil Aviation never actually was effective against these unions. But, unfortunately, all of these unions and the Ministry were never unionized in trying to making a passenger feel less miserable while traveling with them. What more can I say? Yes, a word about the Centaur hotels managed by AI. The less said the better. Anybody who’s given this hotel chain a five star or a four star rating was not in his real senses or never knew what those ratings meant. Classic case of bad management. ‘Nuff said.
Despite having said all this, for me, AI had always been the connection with distant lands since my childhood. Those funny ads of the Maharaja flying to Oslo, Amsterdam, New York and other places are still fresh in my mind. I am sure it is the case with other people too. It would be safe to say, that for a long time, the Maharaja was the most recognized character after the Amul baby. Which is why it makes me sadder still that AI is going belly up. A fine example of bad management and rampant indifference. AI get your act together and get moving. Bigger airlines have faltered despite being good airlines. The government might bail you out despite your bad ass attitude but people won't stand you much longer.
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