Air India striding to reach the top

CHICAGO: Air India, the national Indian airline, seems to have changed for better as far as its in house, in-flight and airport services are concerned. The laudatory messages received from passengers are encouraging, says Rishiknat Singh, Air India chief in Chicago.
He said that the Air India management has been exercising extra vigil and care to make journey by Air India comfortable and soothing to all its passengers, including those traveling in economy class. The upgraded aircraft, choice of food to meet passengers’ religious and other requirements, efforts to stick to arrival and departure schedules and friendly staff going extra mile, have been paying dividends,” he said.
Prof. S. Sitaraman Director, Amity Centre for Yoga and Meditation said in a letter “Thanks to Air India crew, my wife and me, both seniors (aged 75 and 70 respectively) had a delightful flight experience on 24th Dec 2012, when we took your lovely Boeing 777 for our flight from Delhi to Chicago. The flight took off after 2 am in spite of uncertain weather conditions especially fog threat.”
“We had comfortable seats (although we would have felt more comfortable if leg space was broader and wider) and the food was delicious. The two hostesses took extraordinary care of our needs, with polite behavior and courteous attention. In conclusion the travel was a wonderful experience, thanks to Team Air India.”
Rishikant said, “Air India can get back to its original glory and earn huge income. It need not be incurring losses. There are many methods to increase the market share for AI, both in domestic routes and aboard.”
Dr. Nitin Khanna of the Clinical Faculty Dept of Orthopedic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, in a letter to Air India said “I would like to commend the entire Air India team for making our trip Chicago-Delhi with two small children truly exceptional. We just reached back today and flew Business Class both ways. Our departure date was Dec 19. Every single person we dealt with at the airport from check in to the 14 hour journey was fantastic. I had looked online and found nothing but horrible reviews about Air India. I think there is always room for improvement as an organization but your training and staff are truly world class”
Citing some of the other plus points traveling Air India, Rishikant Singh said “economy coach seats of Air India are more luxurious than Business class of many airlines. These have been designed to avoid Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) that afflicts fliers on cramped seats. While some airlines seat 10 abreast we seat nine on comparable aircraft. We should be 11% costlier as a result. Every inch of space costs, yet counts for comfort and safety. Our Business class compares with the First of other airlines, and is really a sign of luxury.”
“Air India is the fastest to India with non-stops from Chicago, New York and Newark. It has excellent connections to Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Amritsar and many more cities and state capitals.
“Further, for F & J, Tele-check in facility exists. For all passengers advance check-in and seat selection can be done online on permitted flights, especially domestic flights within India. Besides, our Frequent Flyers loyalty program – “Flying Returns” – is one of the more generous ones in the industry. One can log on at www.airindia.in and enroll,” he concluded.

Suresh Shah