The new Air India: What changes first when Tatas take back their Maharaja
NEW DELHI: Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran has reached Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of Air India’s return to the founder group. AI board will meet on Thursday where all the board members will resign tone replaced by nominees of the new owner group. Since security clearances for the new appointees will take time, some key members may be asked to continue.
The Tatas have hit the ground running to restore the Maharaja’s lost sheen. The focus is on improving on time performance (OTP) — not exactly the Maharaja’s strong point — with aircraft door closing 10 minutes before departure time. Inflight announcements will address passengers as guests and there could be a special recorded message from group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata. A “enhanced meal service” will be rolled out on flights in a staggered manner from Thursday.
The changes have started flowing in form of advisories to frontline staff who are interface with passengers. As reported by TOI on Tuesday, cabin crew BMI and grooming will be checked when they report for flights. This is being opposed by unions.
