As expected, the new owners of Air India have begun changing the working culture within the airline, starting with customer-facing operations. On Sunday, the airline issued new standard operating procedures for its cabin crew to improve the on-time performance of its fights. From wearing minimal jewelry to spending less time at duty-free shops, the new guidelines cover a range of practices.

New SOPs

Among the many things that have peeved Air India customers in the past is its inability to stick to the scheduled departure times on more flights than acceptable. While a flight can be delayed for many reasons, the Tatas are starting with new practices for its cabin crew. The new SOPs were issued by Air India’s executive director for inflight services Vasudha Chandna, and cover the following:

  1. Crew members are advised to wear minimal jewelry for faster security checks and avoid spending time at duty-free shops after completing the immigration process.
  2. Once inside the airplane, the staff will wear the PPE kits according to the latest guidelines and carry out the mandatory checks within the prescribed time.
  3. For timely pre-flight check clearance, the flight supervisor should give boarding clearance to the ground staff within the prescribed time.
  4. The cabin crew has also been asked to avoid consuming food or beverage right before or during the boarding of passengers.
  5. There should be no delay in closing the aircraft door after boarding is complete.
  6. Following the check-in formalities, the crew should head towards the cabin crew movement control office (MCO).
  7. At the MCOs, the crew is not to wait for the flight commander to arrive; instead, they’ve been asked to head towards the airplane to save time.
Air India Boeing 787-8
It's a new era for Air India. Photo: Getty Images

Making customer experience a priority again

For years, Air India’s report card for customer satisfaction hasn’t seen impressive grades. While there have been occasional shining moments, overall, the AI customer experience leaves much to be desired.

The Tatas are well aware of the complaints and videos posted on social media and Air India’s media coverage over the years to make customer satisfaction a top priority. Having AI’s planes depart on time is a good way to start.

Providing passengers with a pleasant inflight experience is also very much on the radar. Drawing from their hospitality expertise – the Tatas own the Taj Hotels – Air India’s meal service is also getting a makeover. With the airline aiming to become a world-class full-service carrier, such changes are necessary to win back some long-lost customers.

Overview of Delhi airport
The carrier is prioritizing customer satisfaction to win back passengers. Photo: Getty Images

Challenges ahead

Of course, there are plenty of other issues facing the carrier, but many of those will take considerably more time. Adding new planes and refurbishing existing ones will take months and years.

A rejigging of top management, including hiring a new CEO, is also very much on the cards for Air India. But an average passenger is far removed from these behind-the-curtain decisions. If Air India continues to iron out such issues while gradually improving customer experience, the tide might just begin to turn in its favor.

What are your expectations from Air India? Are you hopeful of an improved customer experience from the airline? Do share your comments below.