Win win for flyers: ‘Started talks with Tatas to make the most of Air India’s Star Alliance membership’

NEW DELHI: A change of ownership from government to the Tatas may finally see Air India — and its passengers — reap the benefits of joining the world’s largest airline grouping, Star Alliance. While the Maharaja was accepted for membership in 2007, it could join after completing the required system integration with other members in 2014. But a poor onboard experience and punctuality meant the state-owned airline could not make the most in terms of getting more passengers — and increased revenues — on routes served by it as an alliance member. The Tatas clearly want to change that.
“We have spoken (with the Tatas) about the change of ownership. We are in conversation on how Star Alliance can bring back the value to AI. As new owners, they want to understand how they can be better players within the alliance. We are sharing with them experiences from the alliance,” Star Alliance chief executive Jeffrey Goh told TOI from Singapore.
Star Alliance had worked closely with AI on a customer service improvement plan in 2015. “There is a still lot that can still be learned from that.