No, I did not misspell "antiques" and this post is not about the cabin crew of the said airline, although they (commonly referred to as "aunties" in a sexist fashion) deserve that sobriquet. That will be the subject of a future post.
Air India is a wonderful airline, no doubt, and one that despite all odds continues to fly. But its connection with business or economic logic is tenuous at best. How else could one explain the largest orders ever by an airline even as it was going down the drain, without a clear or viable turn-around plan? I should think it is Hope that is not only keeping Air India, the corporation, afloat but also its planes flying. The God of Hope must be smiling on Air India in the most indulgent and benign way as if it were His/Her favourite child.
I mentioned something about the airline's tenuous connection with logic earlier. Indians in general have a tendency to replace Logic with hope and myth. Even by those standards what I saw today must come as egregious lack of logic and business sense, not to mention extreme customer-unfriendliness.
Having become what is delicately referred to as a "Senior Citizen" I thought that it is only reasonable that I reap the benefits of this tag. By the way, in India definition as to who is a "senior" itself is not unique; it depends on whom you ask: for the Tax Man it is 65, for superannuation from Government service it is 60 (in the Private Sector it is 58 and at least one bank puts you to pasture at 52), for the Railways it is 60 for men and 58 for women and so on; for the general public it is the appearance of white hair or disappearance of hair altogether; for the young it is anyone over 25, and so on.
So I surfed Air India's site in order to get myself a deal on account of my being of a certain age. What I discovered was nothing short of amazing. Whenever I book myself on a train and procure my tickets on line, the initial sticker shock is alleviated by the various concessions accruing thereon, namely 40% off on account of my Senior status and 50% off for my wife on account of her being a Senior and a woman. Thus I am able to travel in a class couple of rungs above what my wallet would otherwise permit. This class offers me air-conditioning, cushioned seats, a coupe with lockable doors, a "Western" toilet that is slightly less smelly than the "Indian" one, and tomato soup with bread-sticks.
I was licking my lips in anticipation of a sticker shock and the immediate alleviation thereof at the Air India site. I am not a sadist and do not enjoy pain in any form. Truth be told, I am afraid of doctors' needles and take injections or permit drawing of blood only when the alternative is too dire to contemplate. The licking of lips was on account of the anticipated exemption from full fare. It is like buying gadgets at a discount and feeling you have saved money. The elation of paying less than the sticker price is unbeatable. I am sure you are familiar with ads that encourage you to spend (on things that you dont need) in order to save.
The "normal" fare to Delhi at the Air India site was on the wrong side of Rs.8000/- Confident that this will be pared down to about Rs.4000/- or so on account of my Senior status, and happy that the savings so effected would afford me a couple of new books or a Solid State Drive for my old laptop, I proceeded to check the fare for seniors. When I did so the sticker shock was elevated, not alleviated. Even allowing for the fact that in some parts of India alleviated is pronounced elevated, this elevation was distressing.The price for seniors was more than 17000/-.
Concerned at this fast developing hole in my finances, I decided to heed the exhortations of the adverts and save by spending more. I went International. I checked the prices for a flight to the US of A. Being Indian every inch, Air India, in true Indian tradition, offered different classes of economy travel. India without class hierarchy is like Scotch without alcohol. AI offered Economy, Super-value Economy and Super-saver Economy. Ditto for business class. You might feel that a person of parlous finances such as I ought not to even think of Business class. But, as a certain web-based seller claims, you save more by spending more.
Sanity and reality were soon asserting themselves and I started considering business class only part of the way and back of the bus the rest of the way. Airlines are set in their thinking and do not permit flexible-seating like business part of the way and back of the bus thereafter. They are not even willing to consider one class for one sector and another thereafter. On a non-stop flight this would not work of course and a different approach is called for.Very unimaginative lot, the airline managements are. I can imagine a cabin attendant waking one up to inform that one's time at the front is up and that its time for a stint at the back of the bus. Radical, yes. Impractical, may be. But sensible. Of course they might need to employ some hefty bouncers to escort passengers reluctant to make the switch mid-flight.
Since I prefer a non-stop flight, and since airlines are hidebound and unimaginative, I can't travel Business until I am over the Black Sea and economy thereafter. I have to consider business class all the way on the way out and economy on the way back. Air India has three classes of Economy and three of business, enough to satisfy even the most fastidious and picky of travelers. Here is where things get interesting: the cheapest economy is about 46K each way. If I travel lowest economy both ways, I can travel for 46K +46K. If I choose a higher class on the way out, the cheapest economy class fare on the return journey changes upwards to keep pace. For example if I choose a business cabin costing 117K on the way out, the simple economy costing 46K becomes 117K on the way back. Please explain that to me.
I can only surmise that being the national airline of a Socialist Republic, Air India feels obliged to practice socialism, not merely pay lip service to the idea. In this scheme of things it is time Seniors, having earned a living for a considerable period and having enjoyed many privileges paid for by the employers, paid up for others; hence the Senior "Concessional Fare" being twice the normal one. In the same vein, if I can afford Business class, that puts me way above the average Indian in terms of financial standing and consequently I must pay more for Economy.
That's the essence of socialism, isn't it, from each according to his ability?
Air India is a wonderful airline, no doubt, and one that despite all odds continues to fly. But its connection with business or economic logic is tenuous at best. How else could one explain the largest orders ever by an airline even as it was going down the drain, without a clear or viable turn-around plan? I should think it is Hope that is not only keeping Air India, the corporation, afloat but also its planes flying. The God of Hope must be smiling on Air India in the most indulgent and benign way as if it were His/Her favourite child.
I mentioned something about the airline's tenuous connection with logic earlier. Indians in general have a tendency to replace Logic with hope and myth. Even by those standards what I saw today must come as egregious lack of logic and business sense, not to mention extreme customer-unfriendliness.
Having become what is delicately referred to as a "Senior Citizen" I thought that it is only reasonable that I reap the benefits of this tag. By the way, in India definition as to who is a "senior" itself is not unique; it depends on whom you ask: for the Tax Man it is 65, for superannuation from Government service it is 60 (in the Private Sector it is 58 and at least one bank puts you to pasture at 52), for the Railways it is 60 for men and 58 for women and so on; for the general public it is the appearance of white hair or disappearance of hair altogether; for the young it is anyone over 25, and so on.
So I surfed Air India's site in order to get myself a deal on account of my being of a certain age. What I discovered was nothing short of amazing. Whenever I book myself on a train and procure my tickets on line, the initial sticker shock is alleviated by the various concessions accruing thereon, namely 40% off on account of my Senior status and 50% off for my wife on account of her being a Senior and a woman. Thus I am able to travel in a class couple of rungs above what my wallet would otherwise permit. This class offers me air-conditioning, cushioned seats, a coupe with lockable doors, a "Western" toilet that is slightly less smelly than the "Indian" one, and tomato soup with bread-sticks.
I was licking my lips in anticipation of a sticker shock and the immediate alleviation thereof at the Air India site. I am not a sadist and do not enjoy pain in any form. Truth be told, I am afraid of doctors' needles and take injections or permit drawing of blood only when the alternative is too dire to contemplate. The licking of lips was on account of the anticipated exemption from full fare. It is like buying gadgets at a discount and feeling you have saved money. The elation of paying less than the sticker price is unbeatable. I am sure you are familiar with ads that encourage you to spend (on things that you dont need) in order to save.
The "normal" fare to Delhi at the Air India site was on the wrong side of Rs.8000/- Confident that this will be pared down to about Rs.4000/- or so on account of my Senior status, and happy that the savings so effected would afford me a couple of new books or a Solid State Drive for my old laptop, I proceeded to check the fare for seniors. When I did so the sticker shock was elevated, not alleviated. Even allowing for the fact that in some parts of India alleviated is pronounced elevated, this elevation was distressing.The price for seniors was more than 17000/-.
Concerned at this fast developing hole in my finances, I decided to heed the exhortations of the adverts and save by spending more. I went International. I checked the prices for a flight to the US of A. Being Indian every inch, Air India, in true Indian tradition, offered different classes of economy travel. India without class hierarchy is like Scotch without alcohol. AI offered Economy, Super-value Economy and Super-saver Economy. Ditto for business class. You might feel that a person of parlous finances such as I ought not to even think of Business class. But, as a certain web-based seller claims, you save more by spending more.
Sanity and reality were soon asserting themselves and I started considering business class only part of the way and back of the bus the rest of the way. Airlines are set in their thinking and do not permit flexible-seating like business part of the way and back of the bus thereafter. They are not even willing to consider one class for one sector and another thereafter. On a non-stop flight this would not work of course and a different approach is called for.Very unimaginative lot, the airline managements are. I can imagine a cabin attendant waking one up to inform that one's time at the front is up and that its time for a stint at the back of the bus. Radical, yes. Impractical, may be. But sensible. Of course they might need to employ some hefty bouncers to escort passengers reluctant to make the switch mid-flight.
Since I prefer a non-stop flight, and since airlines are hidebound and unimaginative, I can't travel Business until I am over the Black Sea and economy thereafter. I have to consider business class all the way on the way out and economy on the way back. Air India has three classes of Economy and three of business, enough to satisfy even the most fastidious and picky of travelers. Here is where things get interesting: the cheapest economy is about 46K each way. If I travel lowest economy both ways, I can travel for 46K +46K. If I choose a higher class on the way out, the cheapest economy class fare on the return journey changes upwards to keep pace. For example if I choose a business cabin costing 117K on the way out, the simple economy costing 46K becomes 117K on the way back. Please explain that to me.
I can only surmise that being the national airline of a Socialist Republic, Air India feels obliged to practice socialism, not merely pay lip service to the idea. In this scheme of things it is time Seniors, having earned a living for a considerable period and having enjoyed many privileges paid for by the employers, paid up for others; hence the Senior "Concessional Fare" being twice the normal one. In the same vein, if I can afford Business class, that puts me way above the average Indian in terms of financial standing and consequently I must pay more for Economy.
That's the essence of socialism, isn't it, from each according to his ability?
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