In Jet we Trust?


One of my favorite brands is passing through tough times. Jet Airways, is yet to sort out the pilot mess that it has walked into. From a service perspective, pilots have always been a given in the scheme of things. Except a comment or two on the quality of landing they make, and the announcement that is made at the beginning of the flight which mentions who’s at the helm , the pilot is considered to be on auto pilot, a given. He is a bit like those faceless auto and taxiwallahs who ferry lakhs of passengers to from their destinations in Mumbai. The airline experience is defined entirely by his other colleagues, who check you in, board you, serve you and take care of you in the aluminum cabin. It’s also defined by employees who man the call centers, the ticketing offices and other touchpoints.
It’s on these counts that Jet Airways has been delightful. Having flown the airline for the last 8 years fairly frequently, I can bet my last dollar on its service being on time, crisp, no nonsense. Its more fancy competitors have raised hemlines, worked on vital stats of air hostesses and introduced other frills, with limited success among passengers like me who’d rather have a simple professionally managed flying experience. In fact, it’s this consistent delightful experience that made me invest in Jet stock which predictably is in the red these days.
The stock has been held to ransom now by the vicissitudes of the men who fly it. Pilots have always been at the more glamorous end of any airline, seen as the bosses on board. They’re like prized sharp shooting mercenaries who have been spoilt by the price that the Indian civil aviation industry is ready to pay to have them, with demi -god like statuses. I have nothing against them making huge salaries or living a high life but the lack of ownership for the airline and brand that they have shown is disappointing. They probably fail to realize the permanent damage that they have done to India’s leading aviation brand. More seriously, they fail to realize the failure of the airline to live up to the trust that it has created among customers. By default, pilots have become a touch point which inadvertently has permanently damaged the brand experience
The blame is not squarely on the pilots. I don’t believe that the way the Jet management has handled this crisis is spectacular. In fact on that count they’ve never been a great example. Even when the sacked a 1000 temporary employees, they were made to retract their steps by some political parties. This precedent has probably encouraged the pilots to hold adamantly onto their demands. And this time too it looks like the management will give into the demands of the pilots.
Though I would not want to admit to it, but this episode has dented my confidence, both as a customer and investor.

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