The Airline Industry Is Ignoring South India
On August 22 of this year Press Trust of India reported that India remained the largest market and primary driver of air traffic growth for Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). It is a fact that millions of Indians live and work in the Middle East. Most of these Indians are from the South India particularly from Kerala. In addition South India also
continues to be the main engine for the growth of the Indian economy. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu continue to be at the very top of the India IT industry and Kerala and Goa are India’s biggest foreign exchange earners when it comes to tourism. Considering this why is it very difficult to travel to and from South India from the West?
Most Indians have to either go to Mumbai (Bombay) or New Delhi to travel to or from Europe or the United States (granted there are a couple of flights a week from Madras, Hyderabad and Bangalore as well). If you are unlucky to land in Mumbai then you will go through an experience you will not easily forget. If you are a novice traveler or if you are not well educated, a women or if you do not know your rights (as many Indians who work as laborers in the Middle-East are) then prepare to dole out some money if you want to clear customs.
Most international flights land in Mumbai at the middle of the night. After your customs and immigration ordeal is over prepare yourself mentally for changing from the international airport to the domestic one. Until a few years back you have to take a taxi in the middle of the night to go to the domestic airport (although the domestic airport is on the same runway). Now the airport provides a bus service. If you can, imagine doing all this without knowing Hindi or Marathi.
Now why should a person traveling from the Middle East go to Bombay, Delhi or in some cases go to Sri Lanka to go to parts of South India? There are direct flights between the United States and Mumbai and New Delhi. Two years later we in South are waiting for our first direct flight. Why? Air India (India’s national carrier) is in disarray. Their routes have remained pretty much the same since the early nineties (most of the so-called international flights from the south will actually stop over in Bombay or Delhi).
The biggest issue is cost. It costs about $1200.00 (add another $150 if you going to the south) for a round trip ticket between the east coast of United States to Bombay or Delhi. It costs half that for a round trip ticket between the east coast and Korea or Brazil (same distance). The strangle hold that Air India has on the Indian airline industry and it inability to compete or allow competition has a direct impact on the wallets of an average international traveler to or from India. It is time to India to gain independence from Air India. We need polices and airlines that are willing to address the needs of all Indians and not a certain section of the Indian society or their puppet masters in the Indian government.
Related posts:
- Indians Ignoring Commonwealth Games
- Welcome to Air India. We Hate to Fly and It Shows.
- Chinese Think Tank Proposes Breaking Up India
- Israel’s Public Relations Campaign in India
- India Should Not Subsidize Haj Pilgrimage
Category: Cuisine & Travel
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