HOW WILL THE TATAS TURN AROUND A SHIP WRECKED AIR INDIA?

 DON’T JUDGE THE PERFORMANCE OF AIR INDIA IN TRANSITION

MODERATING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS

The post-COVID recovery of air travel, both domestic and international have seen a very rapid increase in passenger load. Air India/IA had long ceased to be the front runner in the domestic segment owing to the prevailing competitive environment. Having virtually run it aground, the Govt took a wise decision to privatize the airline. Given that Air India on privatization was prevailed upon to retain the personnel for one year, no apparent changes can be expected to the services provided to the customer as a whole until the new dispensation kicks in.

Ergo, the option to consider flying Air India becomes viable in the international sector, especially for the non-stop run to various locations in the USA. Very few agents would provide guidance on the best fares as also the services provided to passengers. Having opted to fly Air India from Delhi to Newark and back which included the domestic segment from Mumbai to Delhi too, my observations on Ground staff, Aircrew, and Lounge facilities are contained in the succeeding paragraphs. The sole intent is to assist those passengers not aware of the interim challenges of privatizing a public-sector, loss-making enterprise and its repercussions on providing quality services in the short term.  

Ground staff

When compared to the leading domestic agencies such as Indigo, and Vistara, it becomes apparent that the training of the Air India staff needs to be made stringent to improve passenger handling across the board. Let me start with the uniform, which perse plays an important role in enhancing their deportment and poise. I have no doubt that the new management is aware of the lack of sartorial elegance and less than acceptable communication skills among the lower segment of the ground staff. The customer/passenger is expected to receive undivided attention at all times. At the Business class check-in counter, it is disconcerting to see hordes of Air India pilots discussing the availability of jump seats or spare seats at the cost of according priority to the full fare paying customers. Changes in basic information inputs such as address at the destination in the USA being a recent addition, tend to hold up the smooth transaction for checking in.

The most jarring ground staff behavior was noticed at the departure gate from Delhi to Newark. The duty staff trickle in even as the passengers arrive well before departure. Young male employees with rough edges hang around the counter waiting to practice pre-departure announcements. It is here that their lack of skills begins to be exposed. The arrival of the more seasoned ground staff results in loud chatting on the latest gossip on turf war related to the professionalization of the airline. Meanwhile, the announcement about the final preboarding screening of hand baggage may help the passengers to line up once again, but that can wait. The head honcho arrives just in time and decides that the fitted chairs in which exhausted passengers are seated need to be uprooted and shifted to provide space for lining up the passengers. It is a comedy act except that they were recruited not as comedians. Why was I, a business class passenger watching this scene much before departure? It is because the Air India lounge had turned into a sauna. More of it later.

As soon as the last screening of hand baggage was completed and a final queue formed, I witnessed a most unusual sight. Two young employees equipped with handheld weighing machines started to randomly weigh the handbags. Needless to say, they found excess weights amounting to a payment of up to Rs 26000 in some cases as excess baggage. The modalities of payment were not clear and even worse I could not observe whether deals were struck with emotionally charged “culprits.” The employees were no different from traffic cops cornering offenders. So Chaotic was the scene that with a business ticket in hand I was being moved from queue to queue when a perfectly regal gate was available for direct embarkation of Business and First-class passengers. Quite clearly the recruitment of ground staff was not based on meritocracy but perhaps nepotism.

Lounge Facilities

Given the waiting time at each of the Airports for connecting flights, which run into many hours, one expects reasonable facilities. In Mumbai, the Adani Lounge is being shared by Air India. It turned out to be more than satisfactory in all respects. Heavenly, in this instance, as I was to discover in Delhi.

The transfer facilities from domestic to International in Delhi being an airport-run facility needs a separate discussion beyond the scope of this article. In brief, after a grueling walkathon and long queues for immigration and the prospect of waiting for five hours, one is tempted to head straight to the Business class Air India lounge hoping for a tuck-in and a bit of shut-eye.  The charming ground hostess at the desk does not consider it necessary to warn unsuspecting passengers that they are about to enter a “Sauna”. In a few minutes, one begins to realize that the ambient temperature in the rest of the airport was more than comfortable. The prospect of getting slowly roasted for six hours drives one back to the shopping zone or the boarding gate. A Hobson’s choice. When asked about the air-conditioning there is a standard response that it is under maintenance. A bit of prodding reveals that numerous complaints have been made by passengers and that a princely sum had just been expended on repairs! This is how a Govt employee would respond. Attitudinal changes would take longer based on fresh induction and sacking of the dead wood.

Ten days later when I returned, the lounge continued to be in the same state of disrepair.

The Cabin Crew

Among my generation of senior citizens, whilst in service, we often traveled Business class and later in the First class. The service was remarkably good even when the Airline was sinking deeper into debt. And so it was as expected-courteous to a fault and ever attendant. However, the lady staff were at least two notches below in performance. They looked ill-attired and exhausted as compared to the male pursers. I found purser Udupa to be one of the best. So, what was deficient? The aircraft that fly the extended route of 13 to 15 hours are the old ones of the 2008 vintage. The dream liner is reserved for esoteric sectors in the USA. What is the penalty? A large number of flight entertainment systems are non-operational. Even the graphical presentation of the aircraft position was not available to most. Thanks to laptops and notebooks loaded with movies passengers do not appear to demand inflight entertainment. That they are not available should be a cause for concern to the airline.

More importantly, the reclining seat turned bed has two versions depending on the vintage of the aircraft. Age has caught up with the mechanical system leading to unsatisfactory performance of the very system that passengers have paid for. That the cabin crew quite used to it continue to cheerfully perform their duties is noteworthy.

Finally, the pilots who are unseen and sometimes unheard too came right within my zone of observation on this occasion during my last leg of the domestic segment from Delhi to Mumbai. A large number of them who had completed their international flights rushed into business class as is their entitlement. I was perhaps the only ticket holder returning home. Their loud banter was all about why the roster for flying was skewed and what or who needs to set them right. Some dirty linen was being washed quite non- chalantly.

A Passenger’s Perspective

Quite clearly the demand particularly in Sep/Oct is rather high. High enough for passengers to pay a heavy price for non-existing facilities. Was it a coincidence that no foreign passengers were sighted in the fully booked business class and first-class zone? But to convince them that a turnaround is possible in the near term, the management may wish to communicate the reorganization/modernization plans to retain their faith in a privatized airline. Well-meaning passengers are soon likely to choose other airliners until there is plausible evidence of change in the near future. As one who followed the negotiations prior to the takeover, I would not be off the mark to expect real international standards of assets, human resources, and infrastructure to be in place earlier than 2026. I am sure wizards are working hard to change the most visible shortcomings even as midterm efforts bear fruit.

It would give us great pleasure when the Maharaja finally regains his reputation and poise and the members of the crew are attired in appropriate uniforms and once again gracefully rule the skies.