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  • Barkha Mathur
    • May 14, 2020
    • 3 min read

When the going gets tough the Maharaja gets going

Though battered and bruised with its own problems, Air India is the only Indian carrier which is flying to provide relief during the pandemic

For an airline which was facing closure by June 30th this year, or at least a change of hands, Air India has been keeping extremely busy for the past two months. Evacuating passengers, running charters, carrying men and material for medical purposes, have kept the beleaguered airline in the skies.

Air India launched the Vande Bharat Mission on May 7 which is the largest ever evacuation of Indians from abroad. Air India and its subsidiary, Air India Express are flying 64 ferry flights from Middle East, Europe and USA over the week, to bring back lakhs of stranded Indians. In its second phase which begins from May 16, it will operate 149 flights across the world.

Nation first


The national carrier has been steadily slipping in the domestic and international markets over the last decade, yielding space to newbies. But when it comes to serving the nation, in times of natural calamities and national crisis, its record has been matchless. In 1990 during the Gulf war, it had, along with Indian Airlines (since merged with Air India) and Indian Air Force, rescued 111,711 Indians in a 59 day operation involving 488 flights. During the massive earthquake which hit Gujarat in 2001, Indian Airlines and its ancillary, Alliance Air, were the only airline to be flying to the state carrying relief.

However, the goodwill that the maharaja had built over the years, got diluted with the entry of private airlines. The zany catch lines and cool quotient of the new entrants caught attention of the Indian flyer. Suddenly flying was all about on-time performance. It was no more about the flight getting you to places, rather it became about you managing to get on the flight. Point being that it wasn’t that AI didn’t keep up, rather the flyer’s behaviour had changed. So did his preference.

As Air India continued to slide deeper into a financial crisis, the private carriers flourished in the skies. The professional approach of private low-cost carriers, designed for cost cutting and to shore up profits, made the national carrier look sloppy.


Uncertain future


It speaks volumes about the poise and fortitude of AI staff that the possibility of disinvestment, an uncertain future, delay in payment of salaries, constant trolls and rude customer feedback has not dented the pride they take in their job.


Air India Crew before Corona Virus
Cabin crew in happier times
Air India crew during Vande Bharat Mission
The smiles are still on behind the shield

Much of this behaviour stems from the culture of service rather than profit, which nurtured the airline eight decades back. Ask those NRIs who prefer to fly AI, and they will tell, “A feeling of homecoming hits us the moment we enter the aircraft. The smiles, the chatty warmth of sari clad crew and the Hindi music triggers an instant connect.”

Designed for luxury


The Maharaja had been designed to provide a luxuriant experience to its fliers. The investment it makes on training its crew has always been a benchmark for the aviation Industry. AI spends phenomenal amounts on the training of its pilots and would get top cosmetic brand Lancome to groom its hostesses and premium vendors for other in-flight services.

The advent of private players pressured AI to shift its thrust from customer comfort to profit. It now faces a scenario which requires it to cut cost while still attempting to provide top class service. In its quest to strike this balance it neither remains top class nor is able to cut down on expenses.

But when asked to serve the passengers in its characteristic warm and pleasant way, the airline gets into its elements. The reassuring smiles of Vande Bharat cabin crew, from behind the face shields, stands testimony to this. And that’s why when Captain Anshul Sheoran, commander of first evacuation flight IX 452 from Abu Dhabi to Kochi, announced “We are going home”, back in the cabin, so many eyes welled up and many felt a lump in the throat.


 

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