Saturday, June 2, 2012

Why have AI pilots struck work?

Is simulator training for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner the only issue for the Air India pilots strike? Check this out. The Telegraph, UK. May 17.

Pilots' predeliction for high life could bring down Air India

"The high-life of Indian pilots and crew has plunged its national carrier into a nosedive towards bankruptcy, the country’s aviation minister has revealed, with staff stealing whisky and caviar and being chauffeured in limousines to five star hotels.

Industry observers say there has been a long history of staff theft and pilferage at Air India. In eight years Air India, known affectionately as the 'Maharaja’ for its turbaned cartoon mascot, has plunged from profit to an estimated $10 billion in debt. In frustration, India’s aviation minister has said the country does not need a national carrier.

Air India is currently investigating 161 cases of theft, fraud and abuse of perks, aviation minister Ajit Singh told MPs on Wednesday.

One catering officer was recently caught stealing caviar worth around £300, while a purser was discovered walking away with more than 370 spirit miniatures.

Investigations by Air India’s internal vigilance department found that one pilot had been paid more than £250,000 in allowances for simulator training while he was off work on sick leave.

The disclosures were made as more than 350 Air India pilots escalated an unofficial strike by calling in sick.

The strike was called as part of an internal squabble within the airline over which of its pilots should fly the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Many of the airline's pilots joined after the 2011 merger of Air India with the government-owned domestic carrier Indian Airlines, but the Air India staff have rejected proposals for former Indian Airlines pilots to be trained to fly the new aircraft.

They say the beleaguered airline, which is $10 billion in debt, cannot afford to additional costs of training former Indian Airlines pilots to train on Boeing jets. The strike however has caused major disruption at airports throughout the world and has cost the airline an estimated £20 million in the last week.

Some of the airline’s staggering losses are rooted in exceptionally generous staff benefits. Investigators discovered pilots insisted in staying in five star hotels in New York, Chicago and Mumbai during stop-overs instead of spending the night at cheaper airport hotels.

Significant losses in revenues are due to serving and retired pilots and crew taking business class seats ahead of paying customers. The practice was restricted in 2009 when its chief executive appealed to staff to co-operate and stressed there was no shame in traveling economy.

Despite the restrictions on staff using business class tickets, paying passengers were rejected to make way for Air India staff who were upgraded from economy seats. At one point, Air India’s business class ticket holders were shunted onto rival airlines — at Air India’s cost — because their own staff had occupied the seats.

Investigators also found evidence of expensive spare parts disappearing, duty-free alcohol stolen, and spare seats and cargo space sold privately to rival airlines.

Industry observers say there has been a long history of staff theft and pilferage at Air India, citing a 2006 case where crew on prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s official aircraft were caught stealing six bottles of whisky. Fourteen employees were suspended following the investigation.

“It’s been going on for years,” said Dr Sanat Kaur, former joint secretary of India’s civil aviation ministry, and now International Foundation for Aviation chairman. “There was no need for budgetary support from government in the last 60 years until now. There was leakage but as long as the company was in profit there was no issue,” he said.

But the abuses have steadily come into sharper focus over the last ten years as its problems have mounted. A proposed sale to Tata and Singapore Airlines was abandoned shortly after the September 11 2001 terror attacks on the United States. A series of ill-advised multi-billion dollar airliner purchases and a merger with its domestic partner Indian Airlines has compounded problems.

“It’s not just scams, it is union agreements. [They say] we only travel by limousine, and insist on staying in five star hotels. Things are not carried out because the union would be [hostile]. A soft approach is there, which has allowed it to carry on and now it is making huge losses,” he said.

The disclosures were made as more than 350 Air India pilots escalated an unofficial strike by calling in sick.

The strike was called as part of an internal squabble within the airline over which of its pilots should fly the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft."

If you are a tax payer in India think about it, and why should you continue to pat for such frivolity?

The above was posted by Suvrajyoti Sengupta on FB.

I think it should all make us cry at the sacrifices the staff of AI have made, especially its pilots.

As a reward, I would recommend all the pilots be sacked and new recruitment be made.

Our ministers are just great in giving away things but cannot bring about discipline.

Just look, how fast Mukul Roy, our Railway Minister who replaced the efficient Dinesh Trivedi, has been in giving away Rs 5.0 lakhs to each of the dead in the recent Doon Express accident.

But ask him to visit the accident site and he will have no time.

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