I
hated Air India earlier. That was when I had the option to travel both by the
government carrier as well as by the private airlines. I disliked the way the
hospitality crew threw stale sandwiches at me in a fusty demeanour. Instead, I
adored the ‘king of good times’ for his much more personable team with stylish
red attire and cordiality. But later,
when the organization where I was attached to, put a blanket ban on any travel
by the profit making enterprises, I was forced to get back to the Maharaja
again.
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| Air India's new Dreamliner |
But
it was an amazing experience thereafter on each trip. I found a radical
transformation in the attitude of the crew of Air India in the last few years.
The personnel started taking very sincere efforts to compete with private
operators by enhancing the airline’s overall performance, improving the quality
of service, and offering much better hospitality. While the carrier which
claims to fly people at a low cost (but the price many times comparable to Air
India) would not even give you a glass of water without begging more than once,
Air India gives delicious meals on long trips and tasty snacks on short trips.
I found the crew of Air India much more natural and genuine in their conduct
and response than the artificial grins of the crews of some of private
operators.
We
found that good times are not permanent if the smiles are not built on strong
foundations. Beauty is not skin deep. Colourful empires crumbled and found it
difficult to pay for the smiles. One can’t blame these airlines alone. Which
airline in the aviation industry has made consistent profits in the world? Not
a single one. So the problems are much more deep rooted.
My
adoration to Air India suffered a dent a few days back. That was when I saw the
news about a few hapless travellers who faced the wrath of certain officials
and security men for demonstrating their legitimate protest against the
decision of the airline to drop them off at Thiruvananthapuram airport instead
of Kochi airport for which they had paid the fare. In fact, about 200 odd
passengers spent more than 10 hours in the flight without snacks, drinking
water, or air conditioning. It was alleged that one of the police officials
told the angry passengers to drink urine, if they were thirsty. And I saw a
video footage of some of these passengers manhandled by uniformed men, in one
of the television channels. May be, the passengers were wrong if they have
prevented the pilot from leaving the aircraft. But Air India should have taken
care to prevent such miseries happening to the passengers. In the long run,
this would definitely affect the image of the airline which is striving to
retain its market share.
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| Courtsey: Deccan Chronicle |
Air
India is still the best as compared to many other airlines plying in the
domestic sector, though I am not sure of the international sector. I had bitter experiences of getting stranded because of the inefficiency of some private
airlines. I have mentioned one such incident in one of my earlier articles ‘Low
cost window dressing of life’. I have also experienced how crews of some
international airlines discriminate passengers from different countries in
their hospitality and approach. Instead of boycotting an Airline for a few
unfortunate instances of individual aberrations, there should be systematic
demands for effective and long-term solutions for consumer issues. The ball is
in the court of the officials.
(Views are personal)
Sibichen K Mathew
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