Free tickets on AI and IA - Airliners-India

deaphen · Member

Free tickets on AI and IA

karatecatman · Member

Am guilty of this!!

But it was/is limited to 2 tickets a year. Hardly used it though. One year, let it lapse. But the relative in the airline could get free tickets anywhere on the network, including code share destinations ... and then link to AI's destinations. No wonder they were always smug!!!

But its always linked to the clause of revenue seats being filled up first. In no case I know was a fare-paying passenger downgraded or denied a seat because of this free scheme.

-- Edited by karatecatman at 16:12, 2006-09-18

Nimish · Member

Nitin - AFAIK this is a "Industry Standard" privilege - where employees (and immediate/ dependant family) are eligible for some amount of free travel on the carrier they work with, as well as some limited free travel on other carriers as wel.

That being said, AI might have slightly "better" rules - where non-employees can use those tickets as well.

Since I'm not from the industry, I don't have the full picture - but I'm sure some members on this site will have a clear picture!

karatecatman · Member

Nimish wrote:

That being said, AI might have slightly "better" rules - where non-employees can use those tickets as well.

Includes "delegations" that represent Indian interests in the film industry, cultural ambassadors (this means the entire brigade that won Padma shri, bhushan and vibhushan), sports delegations, trade delegations, persons of value to Air India (remember Amisha Patel and the scrap at Sahar? She is on that "list of importance"), person recommended by the Indian embassies (includes persons of even minor royalty), VIPs from SAARC countries, bureaucrats, MPs ....

Add to this list the entourage that accompanies each person. And most often in J class.

deaphen · Member

Well karatecatman:

These gusy definately use it more than twice a year. Infact his daughter flew AI first class from LHR to DEL. I think its very silly, i mean no offence to you at all... but when the whole industry is in loss, how can they give free tickets?

regards
nitin

karatecatman · Member

Nitin,

As Nimish was saying it is an industry perk. And as the two giant airlines are PSUs, this perk gets extended all the way down the line to all and sundry. That's the only explantion.

himmat01 · Member

Nitin,

The free ticket facililty is offered by all airlines and is not confined to AI or IC. Infact some US airlines offer buddy passes which an employee can give to anybody. In AI this facility is limited only to immediate family members and that too only two free tickets in a year.

It is an industry perk which is part of the fringe benefits. It is just like any other perk which any industry or company provides to its employees. I see no reason why it should bother anybody.

deaphen · Member

Thanks for your replies.... but the situation i am talking about is different. They get UNLIMITED domestic travel and they are assured tickets! Thats why i am totally perplexed. To anywhere in india. It is NOT LIMITED to 2 tickets a year.

thats what i dont get. They could technically fly everyday to anycity in india for free. The father is not even employed by AI anymore.

regards
nitin

himmat01 · Member

You are talking about ID 00 N1 ticket. This perk is provided only to the top managment and not every sundry staff. In AI this facility is provided only to ranks GM and above. This facility is provided to AI employees on IC and vice versa.

Nimish · Member

deaphen wrote:

Thanks for your replies.... but the situation i am talking about is different. They get UNLIMITED domestic travel and they are assured tickets! Thats why i am totally perplexed. To anywhere in india. It is NOT LIMITED to 2 tickets a year.

thats what i dont get. They could technically fly everyday to anycity in india for free. The father is not even employed by AI anymore.

regards
nitin

As Himmat said, this is probably a perk to the senior staff of AI and IC - one of the shining examples of the "Synergies between the carriers" that has already been exploited and used!

If this perk is available to all and sundry, we can be sure the airlines will shut down in no time!

COUGAR · Member

I was travelling to Delhi in mid-July for some work and my friend whose dad is in the airline business, told me to book on AI's late night flight ex-BOM and he will ensure that I will get upgraded not just to Business but to First!! And not jsut as a one off!! Since his dad is still stationed in BOM, he can get me an upgrade whenever I fly through BOM, provided I am on AI!!

Strange thing: this guys dad USED to work in AI and switched jobs a decade back:first to East WEst in 1993, then to a middle-eastern airline and now in Jet Airways, all in Maintenance!!

An upgrade was not promised on 9W where his dad works NOW, but on AI where his dad worked more than 13 years back!!

Just one sample at how things work at our national airline!!

deaphen · Member

Hey Roy:
Yes man its kind of strange!! I guess thats the diff between the public n private co.'s.

Anyways, nice site :) and nice ride!! I know lots of enfielders around... have u heard of vir from chandigarh?

regards
nitin

the_380 · Member

Let me tell something about IC at this point.

IC offers its engg (i will mention only abt engg) a total of 5 free tickets a year needless to say taxes extra. And important the engg has to declare his family member's name so before the ticket is issued the name is verified.

Also these tickets come as per subject to load basis but it all depends on the importance u have, they might offload a full-fare pax to give a ticket to someone with a power within the airline.

Arey deaphen common yaar they have to give concessions and benefits to employees otherwise why wud any1 want to work

COUGAR · Member

IC is not giving any upgrades anymore. Dunno why!!

The guys at pune check in know me personally from the days I was in chuddies and me and my mom used to do PNQ-BOM-COK, (with PNQ-BOM on a ratty HS748! those days!!). Earlier they would hand me an upgrade voucher without me even asking for it! Now they say rules are 2 stricter about upgrades and all!! Unfortunately this has come at a time when they have just upgraded their business class product somewhat!!

malik · Member

IC upgrades now need to be cleared by the Mg Dir/Chairman or something like that, there was an article on that a few weeks ago somewhere. I would get back to IC on the DEL-PNQ route if they reverted to a morning flight in addition to Good Old 850 to get back home.

Having said that, even Air Sahara has stopped upgrades, even with upgrade vouchers. They insist you buy full-fare tickets, which is dumb if you are a customer on Sixer.

tayara mechanici · Member

deaphen wrote:

Well karatecatman:

Infact his daughter flew AI first class from LHR to DEL.
regards
nitin

AI is the only airline that allows most of its staff & dependents to travel First class Willy Nilly. My ex-collegues in AI take great pride in claiming that they travel 'F' class only while travelling on holiday abroad. No wonder BA have their 'F' class chock-a-block and rake huge profits from India. A full revenue 'F' class pays for the whole aircraft, the rest 'J', 'Y' and Cargo is profits.

COUGAR · Member

The earlier morning flight used to operrate via BOM and used to take forever!! I hope the morning flight when re-introduced is non-stop.

There was a proposal to introduce a DEL-PNQ-GOI morning flight with a 319 or 732 from Alliance and make the PNQ-BLR flight non-stop instead of the mad-routing via GOI. WOnder what happened to that?

the_380 · Member

tayara mechanici wrote:

deaphen wrote:

Well karatecatman:

Infact his daughter flew AI first class from LHR to DEL.
regards
nitin

AI is the only airline that allows most of its staff & dependents to travel First class Willy Nilly. My ex-collegues in AI take great pride in claiming that they travel 'F' class only while travelling on holiday abroad. No wonder BA have their 'F' class chock-a-block and rake huge profits from India. A full revenue 'F' class pays for the whole aircraft, the rest 'J', 'Y' and Cargo is profits.

AI isnt the only airline its even IC i have my personal experience

777LR · Recruit

AI staff are given free tickets on subject to load basis - only if a seat is available, will the staff be uplifted. The quota of tickets and the class of travel and priority is fixed by rules as in case of so many airlines in the world. Why should this surprise anybody? It does make people green with envy!!

karatecatman · Member

Clarified this a long time ago!!!! See the posting