Addressing the Travails of Indian Air Travel
An academic colleague arrived early this morning from a European city to be the examiner for a thesis defense. Propriety required me to ask him about his flight and the experience at the new Bangalore International Airport (BIA). His immediate response was: “nothing has changed, except for the building. I had to stand in two separate queues to go through immigration. Then I had to wait for an hour for my baggage because in this 21st century, baggage is still being handled manually. There were supposed to be four immigration counters but there was only one officer.”
Lest this be dismissed as an isolated incident, here are some other experiences as reported in the media today:
· A domestic flight to New Delhi was delayed by over three hours (the flight time is less than three hours). Passengers had to wait for two hours in the terminal building and another two hours in the aircraft before the flight took off. No explanation has been offered so far. One ingenuous reason given by a Cabin Crew member was that there was no water for the onboard washrooms.
· The official version is that there is too much traffic congestion in the air. If this is true, why was the existing airport shut down in a hurry?
· The ATC staff blame it on a shortage of manpower – too few people handling too many aircraft at one time.
· The authority managing the airport has stated that passengers are feeling claustrophobic in the waiting lounge due to too much of retail space and too little space for people to sit. Strange, coming from the people who designed and built the airport, and are now managing it.
· The acoustics at the airport is so bad that one can’t hear any announcements.
· Airlines have already started thinking in terms of avoiding short-haul flights: As an example, assuming that it takes two hours to reach the airport, an hour to check in, a 30-minute flight if it is on time, and another 90 minutes from Chennai airport to the city, many might prefer a 5-hour train journey.
On the positive side, the commuting is reported to be better than what was feared. The Transport Authority has introduced the latest Volvo buses from and to different points in the city.
Bangalore International Airport is not the first airport to be built nor will it be the last. The point that is difficult to explain is our reluctance to learn from the experiences of others. A few months ago, a distinguished columnist had written in her column the harrowing experience of a new terminal at London’s Heathrow airport. Here, we have the truly amazing situation of too many passengers waiting in an overcrowded lounge and too few actually in the air, while common sense would require it to be the other way around.
All our proclamations about the practice of management fly through the window in the face of such apathy: where is the customer focus or at the least concern? Does anyone care about the colossal loss of person-hours in commuting and waiting? And with the price of oil going through the roof, how does one justify the hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel burnt due to the extra distance?
The biggest tragedy in all this is that the key stakeholders – customers – don’t get an opportunity to have their say. Even the advice proffered by the highest court in the country – to examine the option of operating two airports – existing and new – has fallen on deaf ears. Commercial interests reign supreme. In the process, if passengers are inconvenienced, who cares?
It is time that Public Utilities realized they exist for the people. Right now, their attitude appears to be one of doing a big favor to the people. For a start, a Minimum Code may be a good idea:
· Airlines: Promise of on-time, every-time or your money back
· Airport Authority: Courtesy, empathy, the recognition that customers come first, automation (for baggage handling), accountability (please stop passing the buck)
· Government / Regulators: Ensure good connectivity, hassle-free experience with immigration and customs (passengers don’t mind the security related issues since safety is paramount)
· Users: Be patient; don’t take too many relatives to see you off or to receive you.
A city that prides itself being the Silicon City of India deserves better. Any suggestions for improving the overall experience are most welcome.
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B V Krishnamurthy is the Director and Executive Vice-President of Alliance Business Academy in Bangalore, India, where he is also the ASI Distinguished Professor of Strategy and International Business. An engineer with post-graduate degrees in industrial management, systems engineering and business administration, and a doctoral degree in strategy, he has worked in corporations in Europe and Asia for 23 years (his last stint as CEO of a consortium) before entering academia in 1998. BVK also teaches in business schools in the USA, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Russia.
Comments
Adam Smith wrote:"of all the luggages,the human luggage is the most difficult to be transported". Due to the growth of education,economic compulsion,opportunities and a host of other reasons people are on the move in modern days.
Air travel is no longer a luxury but a necessity.
On the eve of the inauguration of the Bengaluru International Airport a media sponsored debate was going on pointing out the merits and demerits of the proposal.
DrB.V Krishnamurhy has made a down to earth analysis of the problems and difficulties of the passengers in this new airport. His analysis is bringing the real scene before our eyes.He is presenting the day to day difficulties of people.
The avntages of air travel lik convenience,economy of time and comfort cannot be and should not be sacrificed because of some policy made somewhere.The concern to the customer should continue to be our concern. S.Prabakaran
- Posted by S.Prabakaran
May 30, 2008 1:42 AM
Bengaluru O bengaluru - Growing Pains a la any other airport anywhere else in the world.....
The key is tolerance and patience. As educated as we are we should
also learn to be tolerant and patient. Just like a new born cries
when hungry or sees a new face we have a new birth with the Bengaluru Airport. Given time the baby learns to smile tolerate hunger and the new faces.....so given time we too shall be happier with the new airport in Bangalore. If we want progress (whatever it may be - scientific or material or spiritual) one has to be tolerant of others and patient for only with the test of time shall true benevolence and benefits reach fruition!
- Posted by MARGASAHAYAM
May 30, 2008 3:38 PM
Bengaluru O bengaluru - Growing Pains a la any other airport anywhere else in the world.....
The key is tolerance and patience. As educated as we are we should
also learn to be tolerant and patient. Just like a new born cries
when hungry or sees a new face we have a new birth with the Bengaluru Airport. Given time the baby learns to smile tolerate hunger and the new faces.....so given time we too shall be happier with the new airport in Bangalore. If we want progress (whatever it may be - scientific or material or spiritual) one has to be tolerant of others and patient for only with the test of time shall true benevolence and benefits reach fruition!
- Posted by MARGASAHAYAM
May 30, 2008 3:39 PM
Sir,
As a frequent traveller, i have already lost over 12 hours in waiting, delays and an additional 8 hours in commuting, in just
one week. Calculate for the hundreds of thousands of passengers
over an year and you get an idea of what has gone wrong. The Chairman of one of the airlines has lambasted the authorities for poor planning and worse execution. He has hinted that expansion plans that the airline had for Bangalore has to be put on the back burner.
Anyone can understand some teething problems. The airport has been in the news for over a decade now. Surely, there was enough time for all concerned to look at connectivity as well as comfort for passengers. Sorry, everyone responsible appear to have messed it up. And passengers are going to pay a heavy price.
My suggestions:
1. Do away with the Unions. Make them understand they would be
better off providing quality service.
2. Penalize airlines for delays.
3. Bring in pay-for-performance across the board.
4. If things still don't improve, show the non-performers the
door.
5. Do all this and see how quickly things will change.
- Posted by Rajendran P
May 31, 2008 12:06 AM
Dear Sir
Your post touches upon an important aspect that the Indian government, bureaucracy and very often, the private sector completely overlook - the end user's total experience with the system.
When I arrived at Bangalore airport two weeks back from Mumbai the baggage took 25 minutes to reach the carousel - and this, for a post midnight flight. As soon as I stepped out I found that I was hounded by no less than 7 touts outside, went to nearly 4 bus drivers to find out if they went to Cox Town (which they wrongly claimed they didn't) and finally settled for an overpriced EasyCabs taxi which despite its GPS and suited touts never managed to trace the mobile phone I accidently left in the car.
The human agency in Indian establishments is so weak that Indian consumers have trained themselves to work around what is offered to avoid anxiety, frustration and trauma - we do not expect world class experiences, we simply want to walk away without breaking out own head or someone else's for the suffering caused by sheer human incompetence and callousness.
I do not look forward to the day when our airports start looking like Changi - I simply wait for the day when the people at Indian airports do the work they are supposed to do well and atleast with a smile - our supposedly non democratic neighbors in China seem to manage that quite superbly.
- Posted by Amit
June 30, 2008 10:48 AM