Tuesday, June 07, 2022

The Vanishing Charm !

Air travel has an alluring charm even for a seasoned veteran.

We flew back from New Jersey a few days ago, and we were anticipating a pleasant flight on a carrier regarded as one of the best in the region.

And, in the end, it was a complete disappointment owing to the encounters we had along the route.

In all three sectors, complimentary face masks and hand sanitizers were only given in one aisle, but the other aisle was not.

The crew members were carrying meal trays in hand stacked up to their chins, and that was not a very professional way of conducting service.

They remind me of head loaders who work at south Indian railway stations, transporting passengers' luggage back and forth.

The normal meal service was started 25 to 45 minutes after the delivery of special meals, with the shorter sector registering the shortest time.

When we boarded from Athens, we discovered that the bathrooms and seat pockets had been left unattended and that the former had been left in an extremely unsanitary state.

During the last sector meal service, my wife requested 7-up with her meal, which was bluntly refused, stating that it was a limited service and no carbonated drinks were included in the service.

When she asked if this was a well-known airline service, the crew's response was even more unexpected.

His reply was, “We serve what we have been given only”,

But later he changed his tune and promised to bring some from the rear galley, but it never arrived until we landed at Colombo.

Some of the occurrences were, according to my reading, due to the level of staff training, attitude, and inadequate supervision.

The fact that meal service takes longer is a systemic problem that management must investigate in order to find a solution.



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