Minimal jewellery, no duty-free: Air India rings in changes for staff after Tata Group takeover

After formally being handed over the operations of the erstwhile national carrier Air India on 27 January, the Tata Group is doing all it can to revamp the airline. New SOPs for cabin crew On Sunday, Vasudha Chandna, Air India’s executive director for inflight services, issued a new set of Standard Operating Procedures for the cabin crew including  wearing ‘minimal’ jewellery and avoiding consuming beverages or eating food. Here’s the full list of dos and don’ts for the cabin crew: • The crew should wear ‘minimal’ jewellery to avoid delays at security checks and should also refrain from visiting duty-free shops after completing the immigration process. • Once onboard, the staff will only wear PPE kits and complete mandatory checks before or well within the prescribed timings. • To avoid any delay in mandatory pre-flight check clearance, flight supervisor should give clearance for boarding to the ground staff before or well within the prescribed timings. • Prior to or during the boarding of passengers, the crew should avoid consuming food or beverages. • The on board staff should make sure there is no delay in closing the door of the aircraft once the boarding process is over. • After completing their check-in formalities, the crew should move towards the cabin crew movement control office (MCO). • At MCOs, the crew should not wait for the flight commander to arrive, and instead proceed towards the aircraft well within time. Other changes In an effort to elevate passenger experience, the Tatas also had introduced other modifications. Some of the measures was that the crew members would have to be smartly dressed and well-groomed, and grooming executives will conduct checks at the airports. Moreover, an enhanced meal service was introduced to passengers in select flights in the initial days post the takeover. Also read: Air India's new pre-flight BMI weight check rule irks crew members: What the row is all about This enhanced meal service will be expanded to passengers in all Air India flights in a phased manner. The “enhanced meal service” was provided on four flights: AI864 (Mumbai-Delhi), AI687 (Mumbai-Delhi), AI945 (Mumbai-Abu Dhabi) and AI639 (Mumbai-Bengaluru). Also, according to an Air India official, a recorded message from Ratan Tata will be played on board in all Air India aircraft. ‘Wings of Change’ campaign Earlier, the Tata group also began its new social media campaign ‘Wings of Change’. The brand stated: “The campaign titled ‘Wings of Change’ by the brand read, “We heard what you’ve been saying, and look forward to giving you what you’ve asked for. Today we’re making a commitment to our future. We have been the wings of a nation. Now, we will also be the wings for its future.”

#FlyAI: We’ve heard you and we look forward to giving you what you've asked. We’re making a commitment today. We have been the wings of a nation. Now, we will also be the wings for its future.

Welcome to a new era. #WingsOfChange #ThisIsTata #TataAirIndia pic.twitter.com/mHILY8FdhN

— Air India (@airindia) January 31, 2022

‘Maharaja’ finds home at Tatas In October, the Tata Group won the Air India bid for Rs 18,000 crore. With this, the company took back full control of the airline it originally founded in 1932 after 67 years. Also see: From Tokyo to Paris, Air India’s Maharaja has seen and done it all “We are very happy to have Air India back in the #TataGroup. We look forward to working with everyone in creating a world class airline,” Chandrasekaran had said after the official handover, according to CNBC TV18. With inputs from agencies Also read: A tale of Salvador Dali, 500 ashtrays for Air India and a baby elephant Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.