Lets talk about Indian Airlines first -- No one opts for this airline travelling domestically, unless the airline is forced upon by the employer. Given a choice, no one will travel by Indian Airlines. Jet, Sahara, Indigo, Kingfisher, Go Air etc etc are more popular with travellers and easier on the wallet. The service sucks and the staff is so unfriendly.
Air India -- Even Indians do not choose this Airline to travel abroad, forget about non-Indians. Again, no one uses this airline, unless someone is getting free tickets or it is the only airline available for that itinerary. The staff gets crazy benefits, good salaries and the management gets free business class travel for life for the entire family. F-in entire family travels first class unlimited for life. What the heck?
The breakfast and lunches and dinners at the Air India kitchen are virtually free (breakfast = 25 paise, lunch and dinner are 75 paise -- YES, I am not kidding. I have eaten the amazing meals at that canteen). They get the money spent on those meals as pre-tax coupons. The cabin crew really carries bag full of loot (drinks, juice, chocolates etc) after every flight. Me and my friends really ate more Toblerone at one friend's place (whose dad is a flight pursuer) than I ever purchased in my life. His dad got more drinks home than I have seen at one time in any wine store. And this is going on for the last 20 years.
How are these two airlines ever going to break even? Forget about making a profit. And then this happened.
This entity has made a loss of 7200 crore rupees in the last 2 years -- 2200 crores in 2008 and 5000 crores in 2009. So, 130% increase in loss and what does the government do? They give them an additional 800 crores. When this bill was being approved by the government, civil aviation minister Praful Patel said that it will be atleast 5 years before this entity can turn around.
I mean, really, WTF? Where else can this be allowed. You lose 2200 crores in 1 year, 5000 crores in the next and say that you will continue to make losses for the next 5 years and then you get additional 800 crores.
The minister - Praful Patel - is in the cabinet only because he is the only other person in NCP who is worthy of national recognition, after Sharad Pawar. But seriously, there is no justification for the whole royal mess that has been going on for last few years.
Can someone explain what is going on? Is anyone every going to answer these questions?
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