Ask anyone who has visited a Taj hotel—whether for a cup of tea or a long stay—and they’re likely to share positive memories. Taj gets it right. The hotels are clean and luxurious, the staff is courteous, and the food is delicious. The lobby, rooms, facilities, services, and restaurants are consistently top-notch. Visit a Taj property in Kerala, Mumbai, Lucknow, or New York—whether it’s summer or winter, day or night—it’s always excellent. The hotel chain even speaks of something called ‘Tajness’—a unique, elevated feeling experienced at any Taj location.
And no, this column is not sponsored by Taj or its parent, the Tata Group. But the Taj is genuinely one of the few Indian brands that competes at a global level. Which makes it all the more baffling—and ironic—that the very same Tata Group also owns Air India, one of the most poorly rated airlines in the world.
In the past, keeping in mind the feelings of the Air India staff, many refrained from bashing Air India in public. There’s also the patriotism angle, where Air India is seen as a national flag carrier. Hence, at least for some online zealots, a criticism of Air India is an attack on India. Nonetheless, things aren’t getting better.
Nonetheless, the paradox remains. How can the Tata Group run the world-class Taj Hotels on one hand and whatever-class Air India on the other? More than anything, how can India never seem to create a world-class airline?
We get it. Tata owns Air India, but it is a recent purchase. Just a couple of years ago, Air India was a bloated, loss making, unionized, private sector behemoth losing thousands of crores annually. Tatas took Air India over and merged it with Vistara, the latter a wonderful little airline on its way to making a mark in the world. People expected Air India would now transform into Vistara. Instead, the opposite happened. Air India seems to have gobbled up Vistara, arguably India’s best airline.
Meanwhile, Air India quality standards continue to decline. The PR cycle around the airline is horrible. News reports talk about filthy planes, broken air conditioners and planes turning back due to technical issues. Not to mention the horrific crash on the Ahmedabad – London flight. It’s hard to imagine, but Air India is getting worse.
What suddenly happens in the sky that the even the Tatas who run first-rate hospitality businesses become third-rate?
It is a combination of factors. Air India’s history is one. Our aviation policies, and maybe even the Indian consumer also is such that almost everything nice eventually dies or doesn’t work. For various reasons, Kingfisher, Jet, Vistara –are all gone. They all aspired to deliver a high-quality experience.
The only true winner in Indian aviation is Indigo, an efficient, point A to point B, no-frills airline. The high point of an Indigo flight is eating dehydrated upma and boring tomato and cucumber sandwiches, which make you feel like a grade IV child eating tiffin prepared by a neglectful mother. (Sidenote: Indigo, be imaginative and change the sandwich recipes, please!)
India deserves a world-class airline. A great airline is not just about comfort; it’s a national branding tool. Investors, business travelers, and tourists get their first taste of a country through its flag carrier. Just look at what Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and Qatar Airways have done for their respective countries.
What does it take to have a world-class airline? Here are the top five elements, all of which need to be on point and consistently delivered each time.
1. Cleanliness and Aesthetics – At present, the Air India planes seem dank and dirty compared to other global airlines. Even Indigo planes seem brighter. The aesthetics and materials used for Air India interiors are also terrible. The carpet and many of the seats are mud colored. Maybe to hide the dirt? The clothes and the general demeanor of the staff isn’t sprightly and aesthetic either. Maybe the government school schoolteacher look needs a refresh, after all?
2. Safety – goes without saying, without a good safety record, you cannot be considered a world-class airline. Air India’s recent crash will be hard to erase from public memory. However, new safety-first procedures will help.
3. Connectivity, punctuality and transits – almost all good global airlines have good transit hub airports supporting them. The airports, regulators and airlines work in tandem to provide a seamless experience for the traveller. In India, even at major airports, you have no idea when their will be congestion, when you will not get an aerobridge and when will you be stuck for hours. If we are serious about making a world class airline, airports and policymakers have to support our airlines.
4. Service – goes without saying, extraordinary service is a given for a world-class airline. This however, is one area where Air India staff still do a decent job, even at present.
5. Profitability – all of the above points become irrelevant if the airline isn’t profitable. Until date, most Indian airlines that tried to deliver high end quality have failed. It seems like most Indians don’t want or can’t afford anything nice when it comes to flying. Reconstituted dried poha is okay, but a few hundred rupees more for better flying is not (all those savings are kept for kid’s big fat weddings). Anyway, the only solution for Air India is to do what most high end brands do in India – keep most of India out. Taj hotels work because it only serves a high-end clientele. Of course, Air India also has an added role of giving national connectivity and enabling people to fly. Hence, the only solution is to spilt Air India into two – one the high-end, international airline (which was Vistara) and the other a super-efficient local airline that competes on the blandest sandwiches and lowest-cost. For profitability, it is also important that our regulators relook at policy and taxation – there’s a massive failure rate for India’s airlines – a clear sign they may be overtaxed.
If we want a world class carrier, we need to take active steps to fix Air India. The recent crash and rising negative news reports are a wake up call for the airline as well as the policymakers to actively do something to give India what it deserves and will give it a big strategic advantage – a truly world class airline.