7 days ago
Air India Sucks, Tata Hotels Rock
Air India Sucks, Tata Hotels Rock
Chetan Bhagat
Jul 9, 2025, 20:28 IST
An Indian company gives us world-class hotel experience but low-quality airline experience. Preliminary report on the Ahmedabad air crash should give some explanation for this oddity
Preliminary investigation findings for the horrific AI 171 crash that took 260 lives a month ago, are expected to be made public by Friday. The airline is presumably processing this accident as a wakeup call. Policymakers should be doing the same. What do they need to do to give India a truly world-class airline ? It is what Indians deserve and it would give the country a big strategic advantage too.
Consider, by contrast, that anyone who has visited a Taj hotel – whether for a cup of tea or a long stay – is likely to share positive memories. Taj gets it right. The hotels are clean and luxurious, staff is courteous, food is delicious. The lobby, rooms, facilities, services, and restaurants are consistently top-notch. Be it a Taj property in Kerala, Mumbai, Lucknow or New York, be it summer or winter, day or night, it's always excellent. They even speak of something called 'Tajness' – a unique, elevated feeling experienced at any Taj location.
