What a 16-hour flight on Air India taught me about experience, service, endurance and life after death.
Read on....
The other day when I read about the recently introduced non-stop flight by Qantas from New York to Sydney, I was wondering what it would be like to travel one it.
To endure such a long flight, passengers must have patience and ways to spend 19 hours and airlines must know how to provide superior experience to popularise this long haul flight.
Air India operates a 16-hour non-stop from Delhi to San Francisco (AI 173). Despite reading stories on clogged toilets, cracked windshields, drunk pilots, and more in newspapers, I decided to book that flight to test my endurance and experience service.
When I said Air India many of you be will be sympathising with me and/or saying OMG for my wrong choice. If you are one among them, you are on the money. If you are not among them, please continue reading.
Air India and superior experience is like oil on water; immiscible and an oxymoron. Despite having given my India mobile number and email address the airline didn’t bother to send me a status update or reminder to do a web-checkin 48 hours before the journey, something that is an industry standard.
When I reached the check-in counter at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru just 3 staffs were managing a queue of 100 passengers that was 200 meters long. After spending 30 mins in the queue, I finally checked in my baggage to SFO and collected my boarding passes.
As I walked away from the counter, I realised the 2-hour layover in Delhi was now 6 hours. The short layover was one of the reasons why I booked Air India. You are mistaken if you thought I was patriotic or wanted to give my money to an Indian carrier. Why would a tax paying citizen fly this airline?
Soon after landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, SFO passengers were called out and ushered to a separate counter where the staff informed us about the delay and gave us an option to spend 6 hours at the lounge. When asked for the reason for delay the staff couldn’t explain.
I vehemently protested for not informing ahead of time and demanded a hotel room. I wanted to penalise the already haemorrhaging airline and get a night at a 5-star hotel as a reward for being an honest tax payer.
Many passengers decided to endure it in the lounge, while a handful of us were put on a bus and taken to Radisson Blu 8.5 kms away from airport. We were promised to be picked up 2 hours before the boarding time.
When I reached Radisson the check in staff said a bus would arrive in an hour to drive us back to the airport. I didn’t know if this was a tactic to dissuade us from checking in, but as I knew Delhi at the back of my hand and decided not to budge and demanded the room key.
At 5 am the room phone rang and I disregarded the call and stayed in bed for 2 more hours. At 7 am I woke up a SMS from Air India confirming 9 am departure. Was this a reminder of more hell I was to experience on the trip?
I promptly called the reception asking them to arrange for my ride back to the airport in 15 mins.
An hour later at the gate, I saw 80% of the passengers on the were senior citizens and many on wheel chairs. I couldn’t believe the airline made them pass a night at the lounge.
After passing through multiple security checks and baggage screenings, I boarded an old aircraft that was ready to be retired. The colour of the upholstery and upkeep of the interiors was a put off and made want to deplane immediately.
While waiting for other passengers to board, I checked out the entertainment system and it wasn’t working. I moved seats just to check out the content and was appalled to see the quality and choice. For once, I felt proud and prudent for equipping my iPad with Netflix and Hotstar content.
The last nail on the coffin was the rudeness of staff, unappetising and nutrition-less meal. Was the along haul flight testing their patience and endurance taking a toll on service? I was again proud of my preparedness as I had packed my own meals like entertainment.
For the sake of curiosity and audit, I accepted their meal plates and returned them untouched. Portion sizes were too small, loaded with carbs and no protein and the food tasted horrible. I thought to myself what if Air India does catering orders for house functions and funerals to turn profitable?
I would order the exact same menu to serve those aunties who asked me when I would invite them for my wedding meal. Also, the same menu (tasteless, unappetising and salt-free) can be used for the 10th day offering (part of Hindu death ritual) to departed souls.
I asked myself if there is a better way to experience life after death while still alive? No way better than purchasing a ticket on this long haul flight where grumpy behaviour, rudeness is available in plenty. Air India must definitely market this as their marquee offering and rechristen Incredible India tagline from Athithi Devoh Bhava to Pitru Devoh Bhava.
Lastly, I asked myself if the employee behaviour was a result of badly run airline where salaries are not paid on time and performance is not rewarded? Guess both employee and brand has a rub-off effect on each other.
I’m not sure if Qantas provides better service and experience, but Air India doesn’t and can never meet Shatabdi standard for short distance flight leave alone the 16-hour hauls.
The airline that couldn’t get one thing right so far got the packaging the meal, headsets and blankets right. All of them came in paper wrappers and were devoid of single use plastic.
Whatever be it, I can’t imagine tax payers money (only 5% pay taxes in India) being used to keep this shitty airline afloat. Service, customer experience, and profitability decides whether a business flourishes or perishes.
It is time Nirmala Sitharaman and PMO rest the laurels of the old Maharaja (airline Mascot) and find a buyer to either sell the airline or simply ground the carrier.
Read on....
The other day when I read about the recently introduced non-stop flight by Qantas from New York to Sydney, I was wondering what it would be like to travel one it.
To endure such a long flight, passengers must have patience and ways to spend 19 hours and airlines must know how to provide superior experience to popularise this long haul flight.
Air India operates a 16-hour non-stop from Delhi to San Francisco (AI 173). Despite reading stories on clogged toilets, cracked windshields, drunk pilots, and more in newspapers, I decided to book that flight to test my endurance and experience service.
When I said Air India many of you be will be sympathising with me and/or saying OMG for my wrong choice. If you are one among them, you are on the money. If you are not among them, please continue reading.
Air India and superior experience is like oil on water; immiscible and an oxymoron. Despite having given my India mobile number and email address the airline didn’t bother to send me a status update or reminder to do a web-checkin 48 hours before the journey, something that is an industry standard.
When I reached the check-in counter at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru just 3 staffs were managing a queue of 100 passengers that was 200 meters long. After spending 30 mins in the queue, I finally checked in my baggage to SFO and collected my boarding passes.
As I walked away from the counter, I realised the 2-hour layover in Delhi was now 6 hours. The short layover was one of the reasons why I booked Air India. You are mistaken if you thought I was patriotic or wanted to give my money to an Indian carrier. Why would a tax paying citizen fly this airline?
Soon after landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, SFO passengers were called out and ushered to a separate counter where the staff informed us about the delay and gave us an option to spend 6 hours at the lounge. When asked for the reason for delay the staff couldn’t explain.
I vehemently protested for not informing ahead of time and demanded a hotel room. I wanted to penalise the already haemorrhaging airline and get a night at a 5-star hotel as a reward for being an honest tax payer.
Many passengers decided to endure it in the lounge, while a handful of us were put on a bus and taken to Radisson Blu 8.5 kms away from airport. We were promised to be picked up 2 hours before the boarding time.
When I reached Radisson the check in staff said a bus would arrive in an hour to drive us back to the airport. I didn’t know if this was a tactic to dissuade us from checking in, but as I knew Delhi at the back of my hand and decided not to budge and demanded the room key.
At 5 am the room phone rang and I disregarded the call and stayed in bed for 2 more hours. At 7 am I woke up a SMS from Air India confirming 9 am departure. Was this a reminder of more hell I was to experience on the trip?
I promptly called the reception asking them to arrange for my ride back to the airport in 15 mins.
An hour later at the gate, I saw 80% of the passengers on the were senior citizens and many on wheel chairs. I couldn’t believe the airline made them pass a night at the lounge.
After passing through multiple security checks and baggage screenings, I boarded an old aircraft that was ready to be retired. The colour of the upholstery and upkeep of the interiors was a put off and made want to deplane immediately.
While waiting for other passengers to board, I checked out the entertainment system and it wasn’t working. I moved seats just to check out the content and was appalled to see the quality and choice. For once, I felt proud and prudent for equipping my iPad with Netflix and Hotstar content.
The last nail on the coffin was the rudeness of staff, unappetising and nutrition-less meal. Was the along haul flight testing their patience and endurance taking a toll on service? I was again proud of my preparedness as I had packed my own meals like entertainment.
For the sake of curiosity and audit, I accepted their meal plates and returned them untouched. Portion sizes were too small, loaded with carbs and no protein and the food tasted horrible. I thought to myself what if Air India does catering orders for house functions and funerals to turn profitable?
I would order the exact same menu to serve those aunties who asked me when I would invite them for my wedding meal. Also, the same menu (tasteless, unappetising and salt-free) can be used for the 10th day offering (part of Hindu death ritual) to departed souls.
I asked myself if there is a better way to experience life after death while still alive? No way better than purchasing a ticket on this long haul flight where grumpy behaviour, rudeness is available in plenty. Air India must definitely market this as their marquee offering and rechristen Incredible India tagline from Athithi Devoh Bhava to Pitru Devoh Bhava.
Lastly, I asked myself if the employee behaviour was a result of badly run airline where salaries are not paid on time and performance is not rewarded? Guess both employee and brand has a rub-off effect on each other.
I’m not sure if Qantas provides better service and experience, but Air India doesn’t and can never meet Shatabdi standard for short distance flight leave alone the 16-hour hauls.
The airline that couldn’t get one thing right so far got the packaging the meal, headsets and blankets right. All of them came in paper wrappers and were devoid of single use plastic.
Whatever be it, I can’t imagine tax payers money (only 5% pay taxes in India) being used to keep this shitty airline afloat. Service, customer experience, and profitability decides whether a business flourishes or perishes.
It is time Nirmala Sitharaman and PMO rest the laurels of the old Maharaja (airline Mascot) and find a buyer to either sell the airline or simply ground the carrier.
