mar 14th, 2007
i dont think the appetite for flying has peaked in india. despite all the hoopla (and mumbo-jumbo) from laloo, the long-distance trains are a pain. i mean, going to the toilets is an ordeal. not to mention the crowding, and the enormous time spent.
i believe deccan fares are often not much more than the 2nd AC fares for the same distance. you have to put up with some stuff on deccan, but it's worth it. i remember flying people express in the us for $19 (yes!) from newark to boston. i lived in the vicinity and used to fly regularly on that airline. and the late lamented laker express across the atlantic.
i flew on paramount once, and that's my favorite airline in india. those embraer planes are really nice, not so dinky as the ATR-72s many others (including the high-end kingfisher, my second favorite and jet, my third favorite) fly on the non-trunk routes.
http://www.economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?story_id=8823629&fsrc=nwlbtwfree
but i too worry that nobody is making any money and there'll be a bloodbath soon.
1 comment:
Yes, I agree that air travel in India is much more worthwhile than a train journey. It not only saves on time but also, you don't have to deal with the facilities, especially over night journeys, which are more often than not.
I wish Govt of India start subsidizing airlines just to keep them afloat until they find their bearing, but with huge conflict of interest with railways and govt owned airlines, I really doubt it. My understanding is if you can't move goods and people in a timely fashion, there will not be progress. My God, it takes over day and half to go from AP to New Delhi or over a day to Mumbai, with out airlines it is impossible to conduct business in this fast paced world.
Hope our govt. thinks of greater good and really think of keeping these smaller airlines in business to move us forward...then again, Govt of India is never known to do the right thing even it is hit in the face.
Ah well, Just my 2 paisas on the topic.
Anoop
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