Catch 'em young

It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. No one knows this better than the battered Maharaja. Air India is hiring younger cabin crew to attract more passengers in a bitter battle for airspace that has seen rivals forging ahead. But will pretty faces be enough to woo back passengers?
"No," says Subhash Goyal, chairman of STIC Travel Group. "If youth and good looks mattered so much, Kingfisher would be ahead of the race instead of running into losses." Similarly, Indigo without any overt glamour, is doing very well, says Keyur Joshi, COO of MakeMyTrip.com, a travel portal.
Could efficiency then be the one thing that really matters? International airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa and American Airlines have middle-aged cabin crew who are efficient , says an ex-CMD of Indian Airlines who didn't want to be identified.
More important than a pretty face is a well-turned-out , efficient stewardesses with a natural smile and demeanor, says Prabha Rani, a veteran air hostess who retired in 2007.
But the fact remains that an air hostess is the face of the airline. The committed cabin crew of the '60s have all retired, says Jitender Bhargava, former executive director of Air India.
That shows in the attitude , attests a senior AI commander.
18/09/11 Shobha John/Times of India

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Categories: Air India Sep 2011