It almost seems like T.S. Eliot wrote these lines in The Hollow Men, way back in 1925, just for Jet Airways. India’s favourite airline for the past more than 25 years folded up earlier this week. I felt all the more terrible, almost like a personal loss, as I had been one of the passengers on its first ever flight, 9W 321, from Bombay to Ahmedabad on 5 May 1993. I still have the boarding pass somewhere in my personal files.
Even when it launched, Jet Airways as an airline stood out for its panache: smart, stylish, swish, savvy, smiling. The air-hostesses looked chic; they were elegantly turned out; they were well-groomed; they were warm and welcoming. The aircraft were clean. The cutlery and crockery was of good quality. The food was well presented. The menus were well chosen. The check-in was mostly hassle-free.
