Optimistic About Tomorrow

Of course I’m optimistic about the future. The future is also a lot closer home now you know. I mean the shipping industry took some heavy hits in the beginning of the year but the truth is, we are already seeing things really change for the better. I guess what this was, was more of a recessionary mindset than recession itself. And it really helped us in separating the wheat from the chaff. Play it a bit safer. But the only reason why we have worked our way out of this and are still afloat compared to the US and even parts of Europe is because most of our businesses are still built on standard solid principles rather than on speculation and trading. India has come out of the recession the quickest amongst most of the developing countries. And people have taken notice.

But terrorism is our biggest problem. I hate the idea of not knowing if I will ever be able enjoy the freedom of going out with my wife and son to a good restaurant if the news suddenly flashed that there are suspected terror attacks ‘likely’ to happen in Mumbai. Red alerts and what not. What do you do then? Stay cooped up at home. The police, the army, and the paramilitary they’re all so completely inept when it comes to combating this. You know I went for the Gateway of India march. It was alarming to see youngsters abuse the hell of the system. It wasn’t so much anti-terror as it was anti-establishment. All youngsters pushing their weight. If they bring that aggression to other forums and really make a difference.

There are several things that make a flight interesting. But the one thing that makes fliers happy always is the announcement that they hear at the end of the flight telling them that they’re reaching their destination.

See earlier, we never had anybody tell us when the destination would come. Typically trains used to slow down before the final destination and it used to be an excruciating wait. However since air travel kicked in, the moment you know you are reaching your destination is just priceless.

Mid-Long Haul flights also provide a nice opportunity to catch up with some good movies now and then. But the headsets are terrible. I mean you have swanky touch screens showing videos but the tiniest little headsets that totally ruin the experience.

Off and o,n I think how things can be better in an airport. How they can REALLY take travel to the next level. In India, I think Kingfisher has certainly made a difference with their little added luxuries. The steward who takes your heavy luggage to the cab, or jumping the regular security check in queues – these things are what I think surprisingly I would be OK to pay a premium for.

International flights, though very comfortable, have no Indian personality at all. Warmth and hospitality go out of the window. Professional yes, good food yes, nice scotch yes, but the touch that makes it different – that they seem to crane their necks about in their advertisements just doesn’t come through. I think that’s one thing you sometimes take for granted in international flights. Not everyone is Indian. No matter how much you laugh at your own kind when your're abroad- with their uncouth luggage, loudness and their general awestruck licentious behaviour, you miss the touch.

If I had to pick an airline and associate it with a brand? I think I’ll take the easy class of Barista and combine it with the precision of Fed Ex. Meticulously on time and lets you do your thing while you’re flying. The other brands don’t really have the values that matter for a good flying experience, you know like Nike, McDonalds, Apple and all.