Poor crew management pushes debt-laden Air India further into losses

In yet another example of how not to run an airline, on an everyday basis 15-20 commanders and first officers and almost 50 crew members of Air India fly from their bases to operate flights from other bases, resulting in a loss of revenue seats, expenditure on hotels, and payment for staff that is not for actual flying. Senior officials and sources in Air India say that this practice has multiplied. There are several reasons why this has been happening. Many Air India pilots who were hired in Mumbai have to often come to Delhi to operate flights since the merger of the two carriers (Air India and Indian Airlines) and also after the airline has been forced to operate more out of Delhi owing to better infrastructure. Mumbai as a hub has become more and more untenable as traffic has risen and this is true for all airlines. <br/>