Air India– a very sad impression

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  • Anonymous
    Guest

    Hess963
    Participant

    Hi everyone !!

    A colleague just send me this article from the timesonline. Especially the fact that the cockpit is left unmanned for a certain period of time during the brawl–and this infront of all pax in this small A320 !! This is just very sad and alarming–even I don’t want to mock on it ! But do they have to brawl infront of the pax ?? I know that different cultures have different ways of expressing their feelings and rage–but absolutely unprofessional to do it infront of the the pax and leaving the cockpit unmanned for this reason—absolutely pathetic !!

    Apart of it–just beneath the recent article–there is a small summary of incidents which AI is still struggling to cope with.

    Here is the info:
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6860927.ece


    Airpocket
    Participant

    Yep, an ignominious thing to have happened. Doesn’t reflect very well on the country. We all knew the airline was mediocre.


    JasonNY
    Participant

    We all knew what the business climate in India was like and this time their Airline had endorsed that standard.

    Travelling in Air India is like paying someone so that they can threaten your life. Do I even have to mention the obvious thought: do NOT travel Air India?


    RalphMcDonald
    Participant

    well I heard through the grapevine that Air India is to become a member of Star Alliance, hope this is just a rumour! How could such an airline join its esteemed members in that Alliance?


    bombayteddy
    Participant

    Did you know that, in the 70s, Air India WAS one of the best airlines in the world? That was when it was privately owned, by the Tata Group. However, once it was “nationalised”, it went the way of most government-managed enterprises in this country, riddled with bureaucracy, corruption and mediocrity. Today, as our national carrier, it is a sad reflection of the lowest common denominator in our work-culture. A pity, since this country is genuinely TRYING to change the bad impression it has created globally over the years.
    Never mind the flash strikes, mass absenteeism of pilots (and consequent flight-cancellations), drunken politicians on-board and now this latest brawl : a friend, who was recently flying on the domestic leg of an international flight, was appalled to find NO ground-staff available at Amritsar airport to make an announcement or otherwise inform passengers that the flight was delayed by 2 hours!! Now that is not only unprofessional but discourteous.
    Need I say more?


    BengtJohansson
    Participant

    Air India is unfortunately a very sad representative of Indian civil aviation and we daily read shocking stories about incidents with the airlines in the Indian press.

    Having said that, there are some very good Indian carriers. Having flow frequently domestically in India the last five years, I must say the standards of both Kingfisher Airlines and JET Airways are very good. I avoid Air India/Indian Airlines at all costs…


    RalphMcDonald
    Participant

    I agree with the other writer here, use Kingfisher and Jet Airways and avoid Air India and Indian Airlinres like the plague. I remember when flying the latter a few years ago my inflight meal appeared in a sort of shoebox! The service of the attendants was unfriendly and inefficient and led me to wonder is it any better in the cockpit? As for ground staff service in Kolkata airport, well, enough said!


    dcjdjay
    Participant

    Actually, Air India’s international service on its fleet of brand new Boeing 777-200LRs and 777-300ERs is superb in all classes of travel. Gone are the old, dirty 747-400s, and the lack of creature conveniences onboard. Their 777 flights are the one bright spot in the airline’s miasma of woes. As for Star Alliance, it has/had some pretty lousy airlines which make Air India look like Singapore Airlines in comparison (Egypt Air, Varig). Air India’s service on its long range 777 flights is much better than, say, United, USAirways, and Lufthansa.


    Airpocket
    Participant

    Haven’t Varig gone bust?? Let’s not forget that Turkish Airlines, that paragon of air safety and professionalism, is also part of Star Alliance. It seems they’ll let anyone in these days! Whoever next…Virgin Nigeria??!
    AI/Indian aren’t bad on the domestic legs, depending on the route. You get a meal on the short/domestic legs… mostly (take not BA!A Third World airline offers a superior catering service!).


    Hess963
    Participant

    AI management should consider to focus on bringing consistent service in all its destinations and not only in those with newer aircrafts or domestic parts. This means as well that the Star alliance management or counciling body should be honest to their aims of bringing services/products with quality and most of all a reliable safety record.
    This means AI should consider to postphone their aiming Star Alliance entry and focus in building which are badly damage and/or improve first in all needable areas than more likely losing face and
    belief of their pax for sure. This assumption is also directed to already members who I think are too early to have becomed and therefore struggle to fulfill the very big shoes of expectations of a Star Alliance membership –these in particular TK and MS .

    India as well as Turkey and Egypt have different working and service attitude than others which most of us here are common with. But nevertheless these airlines should try their best to show us that they can do better and even prove us that they can adapt those attitudes without losing their own identity. It is not easy but who wanted to be in the alliance in the first place ??

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