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Staff Courtesy:
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Quality of Service:
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If there is a section of NRIs who depend on the AI the most, it is the Gulf NRIs and that too those living in Kerala and in other states where other carrier options are not available. If AI would recognize
this fact and take serious efforts to retain this captive customer base before their competitors (like Emirates Airlines, Singapore airlines, Gulf Air etc.) take away this lucrative market as the open sky policy spreads, AI will create a Win-win situation for itself and its customers. At the moment, the lackadaisical attitude of the airline is most apparent to any traveller however short/long the flight may be. Aging aircrafts which is matched only by the cabin-crew’s average age, poorly lit cabins, rarely cleaned seats, whimsical flight schedules and poor communications with passengers are some of the most obvious maladies that face this national carrier. Besides carrying passengers it carries the pride of the nation and if its attitude continues unchanged, it is not only the passengers that it will lose, but the nation’s pride as well.
I have travelled quite a bit in various airlines on the European & Asian/Middle East sectors and do not find such a predominance of paunchy cabin crew as I find in AI. Is there a dearth of energetic and pleasant youngsters in the country? While we do not expect the likes of Aishwariya Rais/Sushmita Sens or Arjun Rampals/Shahrukh Khans to serve us on board, it is important that the passengers interact with crew members without having to stand up in respect every time one of them offers to serve them!
For foreigners who try out AI on their first trip to India, they get a taste of what awaits them at their destination whilst in the aircraft itself! The smells, the cramped seats, the creak and groan of an aging aircraft, the uncleaned toilets, the obsequious cabin crew, the inquisitive co-passengers who drink free liquor offered on board as if it was their last day on earth, all these may make the average Indian passenger feel at home, but the discerning NRI and foreign nationals resolve that it will be their last tryst with AI.
I would request Air India to run a proper survey of its most frequent flyers and instead of just rewarding them with free mileage, concentrate on taking their opinions in making the carrier a world class one. If privatizing it is the solution to its myriad problems, then the blessings of all Gulf based NRIs is definitely with it.
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Pros: |
Desi Ambience, Authentic Indian Food, larger no. of destinations
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Cons: |
Aging aircrafts, unreliable schedules, public service mentality
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