Ex-Vistara boss flies Air India economy after Tata takeover. Gives rating on 10

Ex-Vistara boss Sanjiv Kapoor said Air India crew had name tags on PPE kits, which was a nice touch. (Image tweeted by @TheSanjivKapoor)

For former Vistara Airlines executive Sanjiv Kapoor, flying with Air India after it was formally taken over by Tata Group was a 5/10 experience.

In a series of tweets on January 31, Sanjiv Kapoor detailed his entire travel experience from boarding lines to how well physical distancing was enforced on flight.

Kapoor was the chief strategy and commercial officer of Vistara Airlines, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, from March 2016 to December 2019. He is now the president of Oberoi Hotels and Resorts.

Chose @airindiain
today to see if any immediate changes in morale, attitude, & soft product (meals and service).

Hard (physical) product fixes take time. But soft product and morale can change overnight when there is hope, and a clear mandate to fix what's broken.#AirIndia pic.twitter.com/l71MPlTWiY

— Sanjiv Kapoor (@TheSanjivKapoor) January 31, 2022

The executive said that he took an Air India flight to see whether there were any immediate changes in its service and morale after takeover.

“Hard (physical) product fixes take time,” Kapoor noted. “But soft product and morale can change overnight when there is hope, and a clear mandate to fix what's broken.”

Kapoor said he was happy to see that Air India had a priority boarding lane in place. “Another FSC (full service carrier) has removed this stating COVID rules (though I cannot fathom how creating new crowded bottlenecks helps with COVID),” he added.

The Oberoi hotels president said that the plane he boarded was clean and in decent shape. “Tea/coffee service in Economy Class, which the other FSC insists is not permitted by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) due to some COVID rules,” he added. “Every other airline however is serving it. Crew had name tags on their PPEs (personal protective equipment), a nice touch. Service was standard Air India.”

Kapoor was not satisfied with Covid safety measures on the plane. “Crew did not tell maskless passengers to mask up,” he claimed. “Many left masks off after the meal.”

The executive added: “I just don't understand how people are comfortable taking masks off to eat on crowded flights. Defeats the purpose of masks altogether. Many passengers coughing and sniffing maskless. I kept two masks on at all times.”

Kapoor said that passengers were pushing and shoving when it was time to get off the plane.

“No social distancing, nor any attempt to announce or enforce, for disembarkation. It was a free for all, pushing and shoving. This was in stark contrast to my previous AI (Air India) flight in December, where it was strictly enforced.”

Kapoor added that the only mention of Air India’s new ownership was when the captain, mid-flight, welcomed passengers on behalf of “Air India, the Tata Group, and Star Alliance".

“Overall a 6/10 flight,” he added. Actually make that 5/10.”

The Tata Group officially took over debt-laden national carrier Air India from the Centre on January 27.

The takeover marked Air India's return to the conglomerate after nearly 69 years. It was founded by JRD Tata in 1932 and known as Tata Airlines before being converted into a public company.

History came full circle after Tata won a Rs 18,000-crore bid in October, 2021 to acquire Air India.