Going Solo

Brave parents,I say. Their faith in India’s flailing aviation industry is most encouraging. But one of the moms,whose kid has travelled alone several times in the past,tells me she wouldn’t send him in the current scenario. Though far from being a nervous flier,I have never got onto a plane without thinking that if God wanted humans to fly,he would have given us wings. Sure,air travel,statistics-wise is way safer than travel by road or rail. Call me paranoid,but I shelved the idea of my child catching a flight alone to Goa for his winter vacations — the fog,flights getting delayed,diverted,or cancelled like they do so often these days,makes the process very dicey. Another issue right now is that airline employees are a disgruntled,disillusioned lot,who are thankful just to receive their pay cheque every month and are living with the constant threat of unemployment. These are not factors conducive to taking pride in your job. In these circumstances,when airlines have run out of money for jet fuel,who’s to know whether the checks and balances to ensure planes are in tip-top condition,are even happening?

A few years ago,a cousin of mine told me how he stopped flying low-cost carriers after the company he works for did a thorough analysis on aviation practices in India. They discovered that low-cost carriers were meeting safety criteria alright,but they were five times more likely to cut corners on due diligence — for example,if top airlines were hiring engineers from IIT to service planes,the low-cost ones were hiring cheaper staff from less-reputed institutes. The security drills,too,were more lax. Of course,it doesn’t make them dangerous but it certainly makes the overcautious among us a tad uncomfortable. With vacations around the corner,let’s hope our airlines make a recovery and restore passenger confidence,somewhat. Irrespective,we will philosophically continue to take our chances and leave our safety to our fate. That’s the only option besides staying home.

hutkayfilms@gmail.com