The New Air India

Recently I read an Interview of V. Thulasidas, the head of National Aviation Company Limited ( merged entity between Air India + Indian Airlines)and he said about the next steps of the merged entity and how to compete with the likes of SIA and Cathay Pacific. One of the things he mentioned was a new hoarding that Air India had put up in Times Square. This week I got to see it, there on the intersection of 51st Street and Seventh Avenue, just in front of the Lehman Brothers Building it was ( technically Mr. Thulasidas it is not Times Square, but still the location can be counted as of the costliest ad spaces on earth).And how passe it was, more like the ubiquitous 555 Pataka Bidis ads you would see in the muffosil towns of Indian Hinterland.And amazingly Accenture were the Brand Consultants, Air India had definitely been coned.

My first flight in India was in the days when the aviation sector had just been opened and Air Deccan had just taken its flight of fantasy, for me my first plane ride was more of a joy ride.Those days a sandwich on the Mumbai Delhi flight used to cost 45 rupees.My first Internal flight in the US was on a Delta MD-11( the company got merged with boeing) and it is where I had my first Bagel.And I would blame Delta rather than the Bagel for the my dislike for that chow ever afterwards.What I mean to say is the service in India's airlines are much better than what the current international airlines offer, but we have always been a victim in trusting our abilities, a disease which has plagued our nation since its birth and is now showing signs of dissipating.I could relate that gaudy Air India hoarding for that.Our marketing strategies are so poor that tends to devalue our worth even before the product is presented.Hopefully Air India learns from its mistakes fast, or else all this rebranding will prove futile.