There's quite a controversy raging in the Bombay press about a group of Indians flying by Air France who were stranded in Paris due an aircraft problem. Seems that most of the flight's passengers were escorted to nearby hotels to wait out the problem, but the group of Indians were confined to a small room in Charles de Gaulle with no conveniences or nourishment and totally ignored.
See: http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/may/140509-Air-France-says-sorry-to-Indian-passengers.htm It's interesting to see the reaction of the various readers of that Mid-Day article. Views range from Air France is racist, to Bombay Airport is more racist, to Air India is bad to all races (at least that is egalitarian), to Indians deserve the treatment they are meted out, to Indians must combat bad treatment abroad with their purchasing power. >From my personal experience I can make the following observations: I have never been ill-treated by cabin crew although I definitely look like an Indian. Correction. I have been indifferently treated on some internal US flights, (I make it a point never to take US international flights) but that could be due to the indifferent stewardesses they employ. Old, grumpy and looking like their PMSs are acting up. Jet Airways, Singapore Airlines and the airlines of the Middle East, specifically Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways are the best in the business. Great service, no discrimination, diverse crew and good stewardesses who are easy on the eyes and good on the requests. Jet Airways crew are all Indian but all obviously well selected. No scheduled castes and scheduled tribes preference there (the bane and curse of Air India once upon a time!). European Airlines including British Airways who were once renowned for their professionalism have long since climbed down slippery slopes. Best to avoid them unless you have no choice. Air Canada is better in that regard. Wonder why it is they cannot do what the Gulf lines and Jet Airways manages to do. Among the airports I have been to (too few to make a reasonable comparison), I like Hongkong, Shanghai, Dubai and Schipol in that order. Heathrow is good for shopping but very impersonal and too businesslike. The Immigration people are pre-disposed against any one Indian-looking until they see your non-Indian passport and then the treatment gets better. Indians are the worst travellers. Always demanding, not asking, as if from some inferior complex. They have no common decency and personal reservation. I have seen them asking for a second meal even when the first was fairly filling. They always clutter up aircraft toilets in the most horrid manner. Except for Jet Airways where the hostesses clean the toilets several times during the flight, all other airlines just leave the mess for the others. They are obnoxious in the way they eat food and they have no concern for fellow travellers. In this context, I may mention that Indians travelling within India are much better than those travelling abroad. Without being partial to my fellow Goencars, I can truly say that the best behaved airline travellers are those travelling to and from Goa. They are impeccable in their behaviour and polite to the crew who serve them. I do not know whether this is due to the short 45 minute flight where their patience is held naturally in check or whether it is their minds that dream of the good times they are going to. Would Goanetters please share their own experiences. -- Roland Francis http://roland-torontogoan.blogspot.com +1 (416) 453.3371
