An Open letter to the CEO of Air India

Dear Mr CEO

I had an absolutely miserable experience travelling Air India and Indian Airlines between Singapore- Delhi, subsequently Delhi-Baroda and Delhi-Singapore in June 2010. I am sure you must be used to receiving such mails from hapless passengers who fly Air India because it is less expensive or because it is the last resort when you cannot get a seat on another airline (which was my situation). In any case, I would like to put on record my experience with your airline.

When one enters an airline one expects a clean seat. In Air India there are dirty seat covers and crumpled newspapers which the previous passenger read, that awaits you. There are some seats that are endowed with blankets and some with pillows. And a lucky few have both! I, alas was not so fortunate. Anyways I helped myself to the blanket and pillow in the nearby empty seat rather than ask and be snubbed by the air hostess who was in a very bad mood even before the flight took off.

As I finished this leg of the journey where I listened to the dialogues of a hindi movie emanating from my co-passenger's ear piece (why do the earphones let out noise Mr CEO?), nothing prepared me for the local flight from Delhi to Baroda. As I walked to my seat towards end of the airplane, for a moment, I thought I was near a public toilet in India. The place smelt of urine. Needless to say, the flight toilet had not been cleaned. I shall refrain from the other possibilities that passed my mind. I told the air hostess about the 'smell' and her reply shall remain embedded in my mind for a very long time. Her face fell and with a look of resignation she said "I know". Maybe she was thinking "You will endure this for one hour, I have to endure this everyday".Thankfully, I was told to go to the only free seat in the front of the aircraft, probably for the fear that if I threw up she may have to explain the reason for the additional stench to the subsequent passengers for the month. Here I am safely assuming that Indian Airlines does a monthly cleaning of the flight. Pray, what else explains the 'stink' in a flight Mr. CEO??

On my return flight from Delhi-Singapore, the check-in queues of Air India were filled with disgruntled passengers. I shall leave this part out; as I am sure someone else would have written to you on this. While another Air India employee came and told the lady who was checking me in, on the commotion in the background in a hushed voice, she incredulously replied "Usme kya nayi baat hai? Same story as yesterday" in her delhi accent. I was flabbergasted.

In the flight, I snitched the blanket and pillow on the nearby seat as my misfortune continued and an empty seat greeted me. I guess travelling on Air India was making me fight for my survival. It was then I realised that you have trained the air hostesses on the most distinctive way of serving refreshments - "Whisky, Brandy, Beer or soft drinks!!" the airhostess called out loudly. Wait a minute Mr CEO, am I in a Railway station?? Honestly, if I weren’t a teetotaller, I would have had a whisky on the rocks to soothe my frayed nerves. Mr. CEO, why can’t the air hostess ask civilly, as in other airlines - "Sir/Madam, what would you like to drink?" or "Can I offer you a drink?".

I expected the food on my journey back to be good (as this is the only saving grace in Air India). Instead to my utter horror and dismay, my rumbling stomach had to content with two measly buns of ‘paav’ and ‘bhaaji’, enough to satiate a 6 year old. Mr CEO, this was a night flight and people would have been waiting for hours before boarding. Can't a decent meal be provided? Or do you think people would be so exhausted with the trauma that you put them while checking-in, that they will sleep through dinner service? I closed my eyes and waited for the ordeal to end. All calls of nature could wait till I reached Singapore. I will risk a kidney stone rather than use the toilets in the aircraft.

All in all, I was thankful to reach Singapore in one piece. I would like to personally thank Air India for the comic relief it has provided and for allowing me to value the services in other airlines much more.

Jest aside Mr CEO, I would like to pose a few questions as a consumer:·

Why are service standards so abysmal in Air India and Indian Airlines? I stay in Singapore where it has succeeded in creating a world renowned brand such as Singapore Airlines. Why can't you emulate this? And please don’t blame the Government for it.

We talk about Indian hospitality and yet have the most ill mannered air hostesses who are past their prime, serve. The problem is not that they are old, but they are unkempt and are not concerned with the well being of the passenger.

Why can’t we have basic standards of cleanliness on air crafts? Why can’t we allow passengers to travel in dignity?

I have travelled Jet Airways and Kingfisher. They too are Indian airlines. How come they have got it right and you have got it wrong for a very long time?

I read in the inflight ‘Swagat’ magazine that Air India is the ‘official airline’ for the Commonwealth Games. Mr CEO, you would do a great favour to the country from refraining to advertise this further. Or on second thoughts it may still be beneficial, as people who have flown Air India may have such low expectations of the Commonwealth Games that the reputation of the country can still be salvaged. So I leave it to you to make the decision.

Finally, I hope there will be a day when I will travel Air India and elicit a different response from people around me ; different from sympathy, warning, or ribbing to have landed a seat on this archaic airline.

Regards
A tired passenger