Survival and success of any airline depends on two factors:
1. High occupancy 2. Cost cutting.
Now, for AI to get high occupancy,
1. Show cockpits to children below a certain age. That brings kids and along with kids come their parents.
2. Give meal coupons along with tickets and ask them to have food in the cafeterias of either departure or destination's airport. This saves staff on aircraft and passengers can have comfortable meals and those who want to sleep can sleep peacefully without airhostess or food smells disturbing them.
3. Choose one lucky passenger for every flight and on a monthly basis arrange a meeting alternatively with PM and President. Those who can not travel to Delhi can meet the CM or GOvernor.
4. Make salwar-kameez the uniform to all airhostesses and treat them more respectfully and tell the passengers that airhostesses are not sex symbols but those who are trained to evacuate the passengers in emergencies.
5. Offer 3/4th of Unoccupied Business Class seats to senior citizens travelling in Economy class for comfort.
6. Have a tie-up with private radio cab services for picking up and dropping off passengers free of cost within city limits.
7. Offer domestic flight facilities to foreign tourists on a priority basis.
8. Of course, ask all Govt staff to travel ONLY through AI
Air India's air hostesses and other staff are great. Many times when Veg food was in short supply the Airhostesses offer staff's food to the passenger
Re: 8 WAYS TO IMPROVE PROFITABILITY OF AIR INDIA!
by Prem Mohan on Jul 21, 2009 08:39 PM
It seems you have never experienced the boorish and indifferent behaviour of Air India staff. Passenger welfare is their last concern. Air India cannot be revived until the staff overcomes its PSU mentality of permanent job and no work.
Re: 8 WAYS TO IMPROVE PROFITABILITY OF AIR INDIA!
by Prem Mohan on Jul 21, 2009 08:41 PM
And why should anyone, including government staff, be forced to fly Air India? Why can't Air India compete for passengers?
Re: Re: 8 WAYS TO IMPROVE PROFITABILITY OF AIR INDIA!
by Kabeer on Jul 21, 2009 11:51 PM
Dear Prem,
I will answer both your questions.
1. Priority in queue system is only allowed at the check in counters; business class and economy class passengers standing separately. But at the time of taking the bus to reach the aircraft near the security counter all are equal. It has to be first come first in. However, in private airlines, for example King Fisher, I dont know whether you experienced or not, if not you better observe when you travel next time, the airlines usherer comes and escorts the business class passengers and cajoles the CISF cop standing there to push the business class or VIP or celebrity passengers ahead of the queue. Air India never did that.
2. The Govt staff should travel by Air India only because it is Air India that cares for society and senior citizens by foregoing extra seats. If your grand mother has to travel on a stretcher in an aircraft, it is only Air India that do not charge an extra penny and loose about 4-5 seats to allow your grand mother travel on a stretcher in an aircraft. Govt staff are primarily public servants i.e. servants of society. SO it is their duty to compensate the national carrier so that the carrier can cater to the societal needs.
3. Air India is the only carrier, for the sake of national integration, runs trips in loss making areas like the north-east so that people in north-east and places like Jharkhand still people that they belong to India. No other private carrier operate there because it'sn't profita
Re: Re: 8 WAYS TO IMPROVE PROFITABILITY OF AIR INDIA!
by vineeth tk on Jul 21, 2009 09:02 PM
Just read the article carefully..you will get the answer for "Why can't Air India compete for passengers?"
How can you say that a company which employs people from different caste,religion ,region behaves in the same way?There may be some reasons which are more than skin deep. There may be a bunch..and since its a PSU its being highlighted.
Privatisation is not an elixir for sick companies. See the case of General Motors,long list of closed and bailed out private banks ,our own Satyam
Re: 8 WAYS TO IMPROVE PROFITABILITY OF AIR INDIA!
by Desi maverick on Jul 21, 2009 08:56 PM
Are you an employee of AI ? And who is looking as Air hostesses as Sex symbols? The person who looks at AI aunties as Sex symbols is surely a pervert.
Earlier, a BJP foreign minister, if I remember right, was strip searched by Americans while entering America. We allowed American dogs enter Rajghat to ensure security to the devilish Bush. Now Mr Abdul Kalam incident!. Americans with their hegemonic attitude will keep on insulting us and we Indians will keep on swallowing the insults. We can only hope (?against hope) for a leader with straight and stern backbone to emerge and stand-up against these insults. Manmohans would not serve the purpose.
The Airlinescan never be revived due to sabotage by officials who have the decision making power attached to the airlines. The service of airindia which mostly includes proper passenger management, condition of the aircraft, their upkeepment etc etc is delibarately ignored which makes the passengers frustated. This is done to degrade it from other airlines so that the others mostly kingfisher and jet gets a edge over this national carrier. When the airlines is in the red what is the justification that it sponsors a series of advertisement hailing the work of Praful Patel as an aviation minister spending 22 crores. Like other Govt organisation air india is open for exploitation by persons with vested interest attached to the airlines. Taking suggestion from competent persons the airline can minimise the loss.
Re: Revival of Air India
by S Shrikanth on Jul 21, 2009 08:30 PM
The 55000 Crore deal was sealed by Aviation Minister Praful Patel and approved by the PM (Dr Manmohan Singh).
Air India can be revived by cutting down unnecessary expenditure on staff, crew and Govt officials, as well as stopping Haj subsidies,which has cut a huge hole in its budgets. It is a fact that the Airlines return empty after dropping off the hajis in Saudi.Haj subsidy is the greatest treachery the Con party committed on the Indian nation, because no other country,even Muslim, indulges in such a progligacy.
Re: How Air India can be revived.
by Govindan on Jul 21, 2009 08:21 PM
It is the primary necessity to cut down all unnecessary spending by the Govt.,and also stop the Haj subsidies.Why should a secular Govt give religious concessions by funding only one religious community,while taxing the Hindus and also controlling Hindu temples and misusing their funds?
Re: How Air India can be revived.
by Govindan on Jul 21, 2009 08:23 PM
There is no justification for the secular Govt to fund the religious trips of only votebank communities.
Re: Re: How Air India can be revived.
by Vivek on Jul 21, 2009 08:33 PM
So this is the real meaning of the thousand cuts to leave the enemy to bleed to death. For you information muslim countries like Indonesia,Malaysia haj pilgrims save their money and await their turn for trip.
I suggest the still hanging on personnels become service providers and parking attendants on the ground. At least foreign airlines must land on any of the so called airports.Subh yatrawallas.
As long as the politicians had regarded the airline as an extension of the babu kingdom the flights were condemned to fail for lift off. The writing was on the wall all along. Arrogant staffs,fleecing contracts, perpetual indiscipline and contempt towards paying patrons.When dealing with them overseas, they think we owe them to use their 'maharaja service'. Old hag hostesses who are more interested in their shopping on the return trips. These fellows should apologise for operating a commercial airlines service and perhaps come to terms with the Tatas.
