[EasternPedlar]

Just saw a news flash saying that Alex Cruz is likely to become the CEO of Air India. The airline was privatised last week and is now owned by the Tata Group.

I’m trying to get my head around this one, given what Cruz did to BA. What do you think the future Air India will look like ?

[AMcWhirter]

Already Air India has upped its game.

This is the new domestic catering provided on BOM-DEL.

The enhanced meal service at #AirIndia is currently available on select domestic and international routes.
Seen here is breakfast served today on a flight from #Mumbai to #Delhi in the economy cabin.
The longer the flight, the more you get fed. #AvGeek #PaxEx pic.twitter.com/i02fHvEWMi

— 𝐕𝐓-𝐕𝐋𝐎 (@Vinamralongani) February 3, 2022

[SimonS1]

[postquote quote=1201532]

They are so far behind IndiGo, Spicejet and Vistara it’s unbelievable.

Indians will need to get used to his dayglo vest and pained expression.

[openfly]

Hehe!

[cwoodward]

Tata now owns all three (Air India, IndiGo and Vistara) of the several airlines mentioned above.
Indigo is designated a low cost carrier and it is defiantly low cost and in my experience low service in every sense
The other two are designated full service carriers but as Cruz’s definition of ‘Full Service’ lies somewhere between low and very low cost I would not expect the current “in cabin” experience to be elevated other than the the cabins being clean and the aircraft being maintained properly.
I don’t for example see private cabins in first class or any other sort of middle eastern airline traveller extravagance in the offing.
To be fair to Cruz though the airlines will probably become properly run and in time profitable.

[Inquisitive]

[postquote quote=1202378]
Tata has no stake in Indigo at all. Although they have significant stake in Air Asia India that might be absorbed in Air India.

On the food service in domestic airline, Indians are very adept at whatever available. I have seen almost full service lunch in a 45 minutes flight; zero food service in a 2 hour flight and pay for food in many flights in the last 5-6 years and in all cases it was very good mutual understanding between the cabin crews and the passengers.

Managing Indian airline (or any major industry) operation is a different ball game, there will be a lot of ‘direction’ from board and if Alex is selected, he might excel.

[cwoodward]

I apologise for my misleading information posted above. I having just read an article on the subject of Tata’s airline investments intended to write Air Asia India not IndiGo i TATA of course owns over 86% in AAI and seems very unlikely to sell down. I disagree that they are likely roll this into into Air India as in this situation 1+1 seldom makes more than about 1.5.
Also I am rather interested to know in what ‘Inquisitive’ predicts Cruz to excel in if selected. Fiscal management perhaps ?
Just to add that in the posters Indian airline food experiences he has been much more fortunate than have I over the past ten or so years where that I have ever been served has been in the range from almost inedible to very poor.

[EasternPedlar]

I just flew domestically with Air India. The food has improved, and so has punctuality. Cruz, or whoever is the new CEO, will have a monstrous task on hand. The airline needs to shed huge numbers of staff, upgrade skills, renew their fleet and product offering, refocus on safety, rationalise routes and, above all, turn profitable. I don’t doubt Cruz’s capabilities. I wonder where the airline will get positioned, given that Tata already has a full service carrier in Vistara and a no frills carrier in Air Asia India. The airline has loads of excellent traffic rights, including the presently unused LHR-JFK 5th freedom rights, and a fair bit of goodwill, so it isn’t a lost cause.

1 user thanked author for this post.

cwoodward

[EasternPedlar]

So Cruz is not the one! That was just a bit of newspaper speculation, it seems. The job has gone to Ilker Ayci, the former chairman of Turkish Airlines. Good Star Alliance credentials, and maybe a hint of aggressive plans

[cwoodward]

[postquote quote=1203736]

So no improvement in Air India’s customer service can be expected then !

2 users thanked author for this post.

Frederic, EasternPedlar

[EasternPedlar]

[quote quote=1203776]So no improvement in Air India’s customer service can be expected then ![/quote]

I wasn’t expecting improvement any under Cruz either 🙂

1 user thanked author for this post.

cwoodward

[AMcWhirter]

[quote quote=1203736]So Cruz is not the one![/quote]

Just announced on Twitter. He’s joined Westjet.

The @WestJet Group is pleased to welcome Álex Cruz to its Board of Directors.

Read more:https://t.co/Ek1qK4J0iM

— WestJet News (@WestJetNews) February 24, 2022

[cwoodward]

……..and they were doing SO well.

[AMcWhirter]

Former chairman of Turkish Airlines declines to join Air India as CEO and MD.

https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/ilker-ayci-declines-tata-group-s-offer-to-be-ceo-md-of-air-india-sources-122030100463_1.html

[CathayLoyalist2]

…so no Turkish Delight for Air India then !!

[Author]

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