Open letter to Mr. Arif Abbasi, MD PIA
A couple of months ago, one had the privilege of travelling with you from Colombo to Karachi. For a short time, other than the adventures (and misfortunes) of the Pakistan cricket team in Australia we discussed the availing situation in PIA. While keeping your own counsel generally (we were flying KLM) you acquiesced that PIA cockpit crew and ground engineering staff were among the best in the world, you also agreed that the services of the ground staff and cabin crew needed drastic improvement, one thinks that you should have been more put out by their being classified among the worst in the world. Newly installed in the saddle, during the honeymoon period one tends to look at life through rose-tinted glasses. In the first flush of your incumbency you have tried to restore PIA staff morale by reinstating those that you feel were unfairly terminated (along with yourself) during the last Martial Law Regime, to a great extent you have thus been successful in keeping union activity within control through the wide spectrum of PIA’s different departments. Of course, this exercise, along with numerous job nominations and appointments by the “Flying Politician” on board the Board of Directors (and others) cost PIA, an economic white elephant at the best of times, a lot. This is being reflected in very steep increases of ticket fares, now that fuel prices have risen sharply, we suppose another sharp jump is on the cards. Since PIA is the only domestic airline of Pakistan (and Pakistanis have to use PIA if travel abroad is more than once in two years), we have little choice but to endure it. Someday there will be change, but unfortunately at the rate apparent at the moment we do not see anything changing in the near future. One supposes that at best one can point out to you what one endures in the course of travel by PIA by an open letter, the courtesy of a reply to an earlier missive probably escaping your busy attention, having been given to me by one Rahat Saeed, Manager Customer Relations on the Standard “don’t call us, we’ll call you” format.
At 4:00 pm on April 1, 1990, we checked in at Karachi for PK 731 departing at 5:30 pm for Jeddah. Most of the passengers along with us were going for Umra. Having crossed through the gauntlet of one of the most rude and disgusting group of men to ever wear uniform in Pakistan, the Airport Security Force (with all apologies to the newly installed Commander ASF since it was his predecessor rather than he who brought them to this abominable state), we went pell mell for our Boarding Passes. Granted that the harried counter staff of PIA did not do a bad job. Crossing through another ASF cordon, we entered the International Departure Lounge, PIA was almost non-existent here, seen only in patches at the gates. The announcement for boarding (it was a Boeing 747) was an occasion for a long queue to form up, perhaps because of the impending journey to Jeddah (and onto the Holy City of Mekkah), the crowd behaved as well as could be. Between the ASF’s security check and PIA’s Boarding Pass collection, it took 45 minutes, no smiles were given or taken, we passed into the waiting Transit Bus. Ten minutes into being packed like sardines, a bearded gentleman drove us to the aircraft, making a couple of near misses on the ground, where another queue and no quarter given or taken later we reached inside the aircraft. Departure time (5:30 p.m.) came and went, we departed at 6:05 p.m., nobody thought it fit to tell us why we were delayed.
The cabin crew then came into action, distributing newspapers, since it is Ramazan, they had no other chores for sometime. PIA is really saving on newspapers and periodicals, the English newspapers on board were DAWN and MORNING NEWS besides the eveningers DAILY NEWS, STAR and LEADER, even these were in extremely short supply. When the two young stewards in the Economy Section (one of them the Front Pursar) sitting chatting near the EXIT behind the Twelfth Row were requested for THE NATION, FRONTIER POST or BUSINESS RECORDER, they looked up in affront and referred us to “Miss” sitting across next to the EXIT on the other side. “Miss” had the courtesy at least of informing us that the requested newspapers were not on board, thereupon she resumed serene contemplation of the back of the aircraft, oblivious to the rest of the world. Since there was no question of summoning the Flight Stewards or Airhostesses by using the bell, from time to time passengers dared venture from their seats to ask questions about Iftar Time, no reasonable explanation was given till the Flight Deck announced that it would be at Pakistan Time 8:10 pm, anyway it was served at 7:45 p.m., somebody must have relented.
There is no doubt that food trays were distributed quickly and efficiently, the food was above the average PIA’s fare and it was served hot. When one is fasting anything tastes good, but this is a factual observation. Despite the ice in the water, it was lukewarm, second requests were not complied with till much later, the thirsty do become impatient in the month of Ramazan. The cabin crew went about their task blandly, as if in sufferance, we would have been better served by Zombies, the Front Pursar one could see was comfortable on his favourite seat behind Row 12, he held court there for the rest of the Flight Stewards/ Airhostesses who, having nothing better to do, came forward to chat. The Pursar did not darken the area of the Economy class this side of Row 15 throughout the flight, the passengers, mostly in need of having their Landing Permits filled, milled about on their own after partaking Iftar/Dinner. A request for a pillow was ignored completely by the Airhostess, on protest half an hour later the same airhostess pointed to the storage bin above (packed with luggage) and said “get it yourself”. That about sums it up! When enquiry about her name (in order to make a complaint) was made to Flight Pursar Wajahat, he ignored the request stating that she had been in service two weeks only, not much advertisement for the previously wonted PIA’s “Ground Training School”.
While we must be grateful for small blessings, that the airline is running is blessing enough. PIA is in serious trouble, Arif, and whatever else one may think or do, the buck stops unfortunately at your desk. After taking over almost all the executive powers of the Chairman, the responsibility is yours. The airline has too much momentum to die straightaway, a bit more of studied indifference from your loveless cabin crew will give it the kiss of death eventually.
Any commercial airline has two basic functions (1) to take people and cargo from one point to another by air (2) to make the people as comfortable en route as possible and to make sure the cargo is transported as quickly as possible without being damaged. What separates the good airlines from the pack is a third supplementary but necessary function (3) the passengers en route must also feel cared for. Daily on PK 300 from Karachi to Islamabad and PK 309 from Islamabad to Karachi we see PIA more than fulfilling all these functions, on some other flights PIA does not perform any less but these are exceptions to the rule depending upon the effectiveness of the Senior Flight Pursar (or Customer Services Officer), when he causes his crew to perform they perform or remain for the most part a shiftless bunch, making themselves more comfortable than those they are supposed to care for. Even in the longest of flights on international airlines, one does not see any of the cabin crew sitting, on PIA you will be lucky if they are not sleeping. In the case of PK 731 the Customer Services Officer, Amanullah Khan, did take the recalcitrant lady and Flight Pursar to task, bully for him at least. While one can understand that the government hierarchy travels to and from Islamabad almost daily on PK 300 and PK 309 (the main reason for the excellent service) PIA must pay attention to all the flights, otherwise as stated before, PIA is on its way to seed.
While one accepts that sackings under the cover of Martial Law may have been unfair, it is also true that for the most part there was ample reason, some of the fired cabin crew were active in drug smuggling. For six months after the Martial Law action, PIA’s service was beyond compare. In order to maintain quality, Arif, you will have to start being a strict disciplinarian, unless you sack a few, you are going to have to live with an indifferent service. A year or so ago, I wrote an article for THE NATION called A CASE FOR ANOTHER AIRLINE. Someone didn’t hear me out fully (one hears that Air Marshal Daudpota consigned it to the dustbin) but one of the important recommendations therein was that PIA’s own executives should be promoted to Director-ships, particularly the post of M D. To the best of our knowledge, you are one of the few to be appointed as Managing Director from within the Airline as per the aforementioned preaching. If you fail because you are too weak (or rendered such) to take tough decisions then PIA will have to go the way of AEROFLOT whose airhostesses (it is rumoured) hand you Baseball catchers gloves as you come through into the aircraft, the better to catch the chicken they throw at you down the aisle (you miss and you go hungry) as a part of in-flight meals, that some of the airhostesses may be auditioning for the Pitcher’s position for the New York Yankees is no small consolation.
All in all, Arif, you had better get cracking, it is no use being thought of as a man with courage of conviction, you must also act the part. Having survived one long stretch out in the cold (and recently it is rumoured a short political 48 hours one), you must be true to your conscience and use all your powers of cajoling and whipping to get the airline services into shape. Some of the rumours about nepotism one hears are too glaring to ignore, blatant misuse of authority does not say much for your conscience if you continue ignoring it. At the same time, your Directors must come down to earth. Which reminds us where in the world is Nawaz Tiwana? He was one of the true PIA professionals. Get your Directors to wander into the real economy class from time to time, not the sanitized tribal territory just behind First Class reserved for VIPs and such where one sees them normally enconsced, once in a while do it yourself. We have heard that “Happily” PIA is to be privatized to an extent in the near future, one hopes that privatization will not amount to looting of the public assets legally and will be effective so that PIA does not go into limbo between the public and private sector. Maybe we’ll all get lucky and our socialist-turned-Thatcher capitalist — but at heart socialist — but really pragmatic PM Ms Benazir will surprise you, us and the public by one day travelling PIA Economy Class on a regular scheduled flight and seeing with her own eyes that despite all her best intentions what has democracy wrought to PIA.
Anyone for another airline? Daudpota perhaps, he has the experience and the pedigree, maybe also the inclination! That is, if we do not have plans to send an airman to the sea.
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