AI – the cheapest mode of reaching Lucknow from Doha is Ai flight. Doha-Delhi, Delhi- Lucknow. It is known that the AI has been taken over by the TATAs. While we feel some annoyance at the typical take overs of PSUs, when it is the TATAs, the Indians feel a little at ease. There is a feel good factor with the TATAs. They are almost public – and perhaps, more public-spirited than a typical government undertaking is!
All this being the case, the last one year of
TATA ownership is yet make a difference. The typical Sarkari attitude of
the staff towards the clients, as if they were doing a favour to the latter, is
gradually changing, and those very many matronly grannies seem to be disappearing.
However, the responses at the check-in desks are
still very much Sarkari – both in terms of attitude and the
skills. I have found them fumbling with
the computer and taking enormous time to deal with the ticketing. Either the system
or the individuals – or both leave much to be desired.
The Hindutwa health agenda generated menu is
still in force – at least in the domestic sector, you are strictly fed a
vegetarian diet. However, they do feed. A
Lucknow – Delhi flight is just about an hour duration. During this time, they manage to serve some
snack – a well packed snack box with a Real (fruit power) juice tetra pack, a 300
ml bottle of water (Natural Spring), a rather heavy paneer sandwich and a
sachet of tomato ketchup to go with it, two butter biscuits in another pack
(claiming recyclability). Wow!! Does
that compensate for the lack of a feel-good factor (fgf)? I paid attention to the tetra pack – no claims
of recyclability! It is from Dabur. The flavour is orange. It states: Real is only
a brand name, and does not have to do with the content. But there is huge amount of information. About
‘orange’, about nutritional value of the product, appeals to try out other
variants of ‘real’. As usual, there is a
foldable straw as well attached. It tastes better than the usual stuff. And, to me, the Dabur family adds some value.
My neighbour in the row, Mr Kuneel (name changed) is intrigued
by me, especially since I started punching this note away on this lap-top. He is curious and I am happy about it. He
happens to be an AI staff, and narrates his predicament as a staff, when he or
someone else in his league entitled to travel is using the AI facility to
travel. On account of the client care, they are sometimes, forced to wait,
postpone their trips, which is a great problem for them. I feel good about the traveller care – but
the same thing is felt as an injustice to him – I too see his point. He has had
very embarrassing situations. He also
feels unhappy about the way in which the employees are not treated equally –
under coercion a group being given better perks, whereas the newcomers being
treated with much lesser emoluments. He is a Lucknowi, and is happy to get my
contact. I too don’t mind sharing my
phone number with him. Perhaps, in my
next two years, he is to give me better insights regarding Lucknow (luck now or
later!!) and AI. I am keenly looking forward
to knowing the difference TATAs is making to AI.
In the flight, the crew is a team of young people
– apparently, now more men than women with AI. They are well mannered and not
the typical Sarkari
personnel who display their raub. Bringing the starters – a plastic sachet of
fried corn (not something very appealing, but better than nothing) and a drink –
fruit, soda or alcohol. The crew
volunteers that they can provide whiskey or beer. And I ask for whiskey with ice and fruit juice
(only orange juice or coke are the options).
They serve the same in a paper cup with AIR INDIA printed bold in red - that does not appeal. However, a much friendlier treatment than ever before. The dinner is really heavy – with rice, veg/non-veg
curry, dahi, boiled corn and dessert (excellent chocolate pastry). I carry the
bread and butter along as I don’t want to add to the waste; and I refuse the
bottled water, as I have already one, and enough stock of drinking water.
Barring the food, there is hardly
any other entertainment on the flight. I recall those days when Delhi to Kochi
AI flights had screens and a choice of entertainment programs.
My neighour is a young Sardarji,
Paramjeet from Gurdaspur, who works with Baladiya (on contract) as a
driver. He has to circuit the whole of
Qatar every day. With my interest in
what is happening with solid waste, I ask him if I could come for a ride, and he
promises to take me on a round one day.
I take his number. I feel
thrilled to learn that his village is bordering Pakistan, and when there is
tension, their entire village is shifted back into the Indian territory. With their adhaar card, they are permitted to
go to Pakistani territory and come back on the same day, especially for
religious and gari purposes. I hope to visit his village as well as go on a
round with him on the Baladiya waste dumping trip.
I am helped on arrival in Delhi to quickly go through the processes so that I board the connecting flight to Lucknow in time. I felt the guy went out of way to help us, and felt inclined to tip him. By the time, I made up my mind, he had vanished. I have no clue as to what would be the right thing to do - and the right amount to give.
However, at the boarding point I am stopped, and asked to wait. I have no clue. Some vague question regarding my check-in bag is asked, after informing it is held up, and will not be sent. Some clarification on whether it had any charger or battery, and I flatly refused, also confident that the luggage had arrived all the way by AI from Doha. Finally, I am let in. And informed that the luggage will arrive at my home address in 2 or 3 days. I am not happy. This is a shoddy piece of work. As if an appendix, I am asked to fill a form with my address and phone number, and just casually asked to report the same on arrival in Lucknow, which I do. And I do the follow-up the next two days. (But on the flight I recalled that the last item I had packed was a gift diary of Al-Mufta jewellery, and it had a pen-drive and built in power bank or something of that sort! So no excuses!). After 3 days, around midnight, there is someone at the gate reporting that he has come to deliver my bag. Now I consider this very gracious, though it is my right. I was willing to go even to Delhi to fetch it if required. So I tip him Rs. 150. And on examination, I find the cherished gift item, which is likely to have caused the trouble, missing. But not a word, no explanation, no effort to provide that back to the customer. This leaves much to be desired from AI.
After each trip, AI sends a feedback form, and I think that is a good sign, provided they take into consideration the concerns of the customers.
I would give another year to TATA to show their stuff in AI management. As of now, it leaves much more to offer to make the customer feel good, and opt for it again, but for the price factor, which at times, appears in favour of the customer.
PS. On 2024 January 15th I get the report from my friend who had travelled all the way from Lucknow to Delhi to board Air India Express flight to Coimbatore to attend a Doctoral Committee. They were made to board the plane scheduled to leave at 9 am almost an hour before. Then they were told the plane would take off only at 11 am, it was further announced it would leave only at 1 pm, later 2 pm, and finally at 6 pm they were deboarded. I was flabbergasted to learn that they were not fed, nor given water to drink! The people were prepared to deplane, but they wouldn't be permitted.
And finally, on deboarding, they were faced with utter confusion to get their luggage back. The initial hitch was on account of the fog; where as, when finally the fog cleared, it was the lack of personnel. There were no crew to substitute as the working hours of the crew were completed.
With TATA being there, I thought they should have found human resources for such contingencies, but that has not happened.
More importantly, the passengers were not being given the right kind of information - correct and timely. It appears that there are strict rules regarding working hours for the flight crew, lest fatigue causes avoidable accidents. This was not made known to the passengers.
And after having had to wait for 10 hours in the flight, that the beleaguered passengers were not given any refreshments, appears to be a very inhospitable treatment to the passengers.
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