Vermin on planes and staff walkouts: Air India’s woes build as Tata pursues overhaul
Neetu Chopra was set to travel from Mumbai to Bengaluru to give a motivational speech last week when hundreds of cabin crew at Air India’s budget carrier called in sick, disrupting nearly 200 flights. The 35-year-old, who made headlines riding across India on a scooter to raise awareness for women’s safety, spent a sleepless night at the airport. She was eventually rerouted through Jaipur but missed her event. “How many people like me are suffering and are mentally harassed by this?” Chopra said. She will “never ever” again fly with Air India Express. “It was the very worst experience.” The walkout last week was the latest turmoil to hit Tata Sons’ aviation business. Along with angering customers, it put the spotlight on challenges the 156-year-old conglomerate faces as it merges four different airlines and modernises the Air India franchise after taking it over in a $2.4b deal two years ago. With steadily more Indians taking to the skies — the country has one of the world’s fastest growing domestic aviation markets — the overhaul of Air India is crucial to New Delhi’s attempts to position the country as a global hub, with dozens of new airports being built around the nation. As the group attempts introduce a new pay structure, restive staff could be Tata’s “Achilles heel”, said Addison Schonland, partner at AirInsight Group, a US aerospace analysis company. “Airline employees have the ability to destroy the passenger experience and you don’t want that in a highly competitive market,” he said. “No airline can afford to fight with its employees . . . industry labour is at a premium and it must train many more.”<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-05-15/star/vermin-on-planes-and-staff-walkouts-air-india2019s-woes-build-as-tata-pursues-overhaul
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Vermin on planes and staff walkouts: Air India’s woes build as Tata pursues overhaul
Neetu Chopra was set to travel from Mumbai to Bengaluru to give a motivational speech last week when hundreds of cabin crew at Air India’s budget carrier called in sick, disrupting nearly 200 flights. The 35-year-old, who made headlines riding across India on a scooter to raise awareness for women’s safety, spent a sleepless night at the airport. She was eventually rerouted through Jaipur but missed her event. “How many people like me are suffering and are mentally harassed by this?” Chopra said. She will “never ever” again fly with Air India Express. “It was the very worst experience.” The walkout last week was the latest turmoil to hit Tata Sons’ aviation business. Along with angering customers, it put the spotlight on challenges the 156-year-old conglomerate faces as it merges four different airlines and modernises the Air India franchise after taking it over in a $2.4b deal two years ago. With steadily more Indians taking to the skies — the country has one of the world’s fastest growing domestic aviation markets — the overhaul of Air India is crucial to New Delhi’s attempts to position the country as a global hub, with dozens of new airports being built around the nation. As the group attempts introduce a new pay structure, restive staff could be Tata’s “Achilles heel”, said Addison Schonland, partner at AirInsight Group, a US aerospace analysis company. “Airline employees have the ability to destroy the passenger experience and you don’t want that in a highly competitive market,” he said. “No airline can afford to fight with its employees . . . industry labour is at a premium and it must train many more.”<br/>
