Airline losses

What will you do, if your company is heading for a huge loss and each and every one in the company is aware of it. Will you go on with your Performance based Incentive (what does your performance stand for, if your company isnt doing good), salaries, perks, etc. etc.
Everybody is talking about the Air India's mounting losses of 4000 Crores and when strong measures are being talked about - the employees are talking about an indefinite strike. does it really make any sense at all. I dont understand why is this kind of behaviour exhibited by their employees.
Of course, I agree that it is not just Air India that is into this unique situation, but the whole aviation industry is facing the same tough situation only as the following write up int eh newspapers demonstrate:

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global aviation industry is expected to lose about $9 billion this year. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) says the Indian aviation industry is likely to incur around $2-billion losses this year. Two major domestic air-carriers, Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airwarys have reduced jobs, slashed salaries, besides Global airlines such as Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Air France-KLM and Qantas have taken similar measures to lessen the impact of current crisis.

  1. Pilots of the Singapore Airlines have agreed to one-day compulsory leave every month. Managers and administrative officers are taking one day a month either as unpaid leave or from their annual leave.
  2. British Airways has frozen pay and cut around 2,500 jobs since last year. It has also sought 4,000 voluntary redundancies.
  3. American Airlines has announced plans would cut up to 1,600 positions by August this year.
  4. Japan Airlines wants to cut 1,200 jobs by March 2010.

The high official are talking about " Moment of Truth for their employees" - But have they ever talked about the Moment of truth or the "flying Experience of their customers. Compared to all other airlines, which travels extra mile to get customers and also retain them, what has this airlines done. Even to get their loyalty card, you have to pay and get it. there is no sense of a profitbale enterprise from their employees. How many of them think of giving such a service that people would prefer to come back to them for their next flight. they only do a routine that too a boring job, from the expression that they have when they meet up with the customers. Of course, there are exceptions, but these kind of people are too low to be of significance. There should be a wake up call for providing good customer service for this airline to turn around. Ask any person, if there is Air India and any other airlines flying to the same destination - which one will be prefered - the answer will be the other airline only. When I see smaller and newer airlines eating into the market share of Air India, I am pained. When will these people realize the true meaning of what Gandhiji said" A customer is not an intrusion into our business, but is the reason for our existense". If only every employee - whether it is the ground staff or airhostess or the ticketing agent follow this, then Air India will get there. otherwise, it will be only a black hole where our Indian government is going to sink in more money.

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