Airline Fracture

For years,we have exulted in the fact that our local private airlines provided passengers with the very best in-flight service and travel comfort. We have quickly become used to well-groomed,highly savvy young men and women politely and efficiently checking us in at the airport,serving up fresh,tasty food and after-mint sachets in-flight and ensuring that we usually depart and arrive at our destinations on time.

Airfares in India have been highly competitive,so much so,that an entire class of travellers,who once could never have dreamt of boarding a plane,now can travel across the country and indeed to distant shores at affordable prices.

Our new airlines became a shining example of how Indian private enterprise,once freed from the shackles of government interference,could produce a truly world-class product.

It however seems,like Icarus,some of our private airlines sought to fly too high and therefore got scorched by their own vaulting ambition. Perhaps,they might seek a few lessons from their American counterparts who have succeeded in cutting costs and streamlining operations by charging customers for every conceivable service offered.

Want to choose your seat on the plane? Be prepared to pay extra online for the privilege of ensuring you get to sit next to your companion.

Want to check-in your luggage? Well,it will cost you twenty-five dollars for the first bag and then thirty-five dollars for the second suitcase.

Want to watch the in-flight entertainment? First cough up two dollars for a pair of cheap headphones and then be ready to swipe your credit card again if you desire to see a movie or even HBO.

Of course,if you want to eat or drink anything on board a five-hour flight,you can purchase food and even cocktails. But heaven help the poor vegetarians,who are offered a Hobson’s choice between ham and turkey sandwiches by surly flight attendants,who look close to retirement age. When you finally arrive at your destination,remember to keep another five dollars handy for the use of a luggage trolley. These are standard norms,not just applicable to low cost carriers,but across all airlines in the US.

As passengers in India,we have come to expect such high levels of service from our private airlines that it will be hard for us to reconcile to these radical cost-cutting measures,if they were ever to be implemented here. Let us hope these turbulent times in the aviation industry will quickly pass and bailout or not,it is the customer who will eventually emerge as the true king of good times.

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