Loss Rs 7,200 crore, but Air India brass to fly in style

New Delhi: Air India's top brass will now travel like kings with the austerity drive having been given a quiet burial. The airline issued an order on November 27 saying that the airline's chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav and his spouse can travel first class on its flights, whether on work or on vacation.
Not only that, parents and children of the serving chief executive can travel business class during vacation on Air India flights.
Senior officers, who had earlier been told to fly only economy class, need no longer go 'cattle class'. The Air India order, in total disregard of the state of the airline's financial position, has reversed its earlier order and allowed officers of the rank of general manager and above to fly business class.
For the record, the national carrier incurred a loss of Rs 7,226 crore (Rs 72.26 billion) during the last two fiscals.
Deputy general managers too can fly business class when travelling for work, subject to availability of seats.
Even retired CMDs or MDs of Air India or Indian Airlines will be entitled to fly business class along with their spouses, parents and children. The same will apply to people who retired from the posts of DGM to corporate directors.All other employees will, of course, fly economy class. The order (HQ/79-2/2057) was issued 'with the concurrence of the CMD' on November 27 night even as the beleaguered airline was grappling with the issue of a pilots' strike.
02/12/09 Rediff

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: NACIL Dec 2009