islamabad - At the risk of sounding pessimistic, I have to admit that flight PK 769 from Islamabad to Barcelona, Spain was half empty.

“The seating capacity of this carrier is three hundred and thirty and we have a list of passengers close to two hundred” said the purser. The seating strength in business class was 35 in total and I stopped on number 12.  I was travelling during Christmas season to a city in Western Europe. From a monetary perspective, this provided great ticket sale opportunities for PIA. Secondly, it was winter vacations in Pakistan and all school and colleges were closed. To top it off, tickets to European routes were being sold on discounted rates by PIA.  Despite all this, the carrier was half empty. When flight PK769 had a stopover in France for two hours, most of the passengers disembarked in Paris leaving only a few behind.

We read and hear a lot about PIA‘s poor performance, fragile financial conditions, depilated aircrafts, and deteriorating on ground service. I decided to avail the opportunity and see for myself as I had seven hours to explore and nowhere to go before I land.

“The media plays the biggest role in creating a bad image of us” was the answer I got from the first responders.  He narrated an incident to prove his point.

Not long ago, a PIA flight from London Heathrow airport landed in Lahore during early morning hours and the PIA crew was stopped by the customs authority at the Allama Iqbal International airport. “It was around 7 am and we were asked to open our bags. All our personal belongings, including that of airhostesses were opened for the public to witness. The customs officials tore apart everything in our luggage including gift items for our loved ones. Unable to achieve their objective, they eventually sidelined the captain for carrying 3500 pounds in his pocket”.

To cut long story short, we spent the whole day at the airport after a 7 hour flight duty. We tried to clarify our position as per CAA rules that a crew cannot be on duty for more than 14 hours. However, the matter was leaked to the media and news channels jumped to report the inaccurate information.

 “PIA staff caught red handed with smuggled electronic items and millions of dollars of cash in their bags. All crew members are under arrest”. Lo and behold, our families started calling in as the story began to flash on the TV screens.   Rubbing salt on the wounds, leading newspapers, the next day, carried the same story with even more exaggerated details.  Our PR dept tried to clear our names from what happened but all in vain. The damage done was irreparable. 

Coming back to PIA, the menu in business class was appetizing. Daal, sabzi, Chicken masala, chicken with mushroom sauce and seekh Kebab along with two rice platters to choose from. The dessert both looked and tasted lip-smacking.

“A brief Google search will tell you that PIA is among the top airlines whose ETD and ETA is on time” informed a crew member.  As I struggle on my question why is PIA lagging behind, I could only come up with the answer that PIA may not be a bad carrier but others in competition have progressed steadily in the past few years. 

The TV screens did not work on many seats. The non-functioning side levers, which are otherwise a source of comfort, are a pain in PIA. The entertainment section needs to be updated as it offers a list of movies which probably every passenger has watched.  The menu in economy is nothing close to that of other airlines. Only if you are seated in the front rows, you are lucky enough to choose between beef and chicken. Down the aisle, the selection becomes limited to none.  The blankets and pillows are in a short supply and so are the journals and newspapers.  Similarly, the call bell doesn’t work or if and when it does works, it falls on deaf ears.  The toilets too have a story to tell.

 Having said that, the passengers on these flights also need a lesson in public decency. Buying a ticket from PIA does not mean that one has bought the aircraft and the crew.

The pilot is not their personal chauffer but a professional with miles of experience under his belt. Jerks during the air pockets landing in bad weather or gusty winds speak of his professionalism rather than inexperience. Similarly, the crew onboard should not be confused with that of domestic help at home. A packed-to-capacity international flight has 200 to 300 passengers on board to please. A crew of 14 to 16 staff members simply cannot immediately serve every passenger.

There are priorities defined in SOP’s, internationally and domestically. An expectant mother, an octogenarian passenger, a family with three toddlers or a sick person require more care and attention of the crew than a middle-aged man   returning a tea cup   for not being piping hot.

Although my flight back to Islamabad was full, it was sad to see that not a single foreigner was on board. The passengers travelling PIA were patriotic Pakistanis, those who cannot converse in English or others who wanted to avail the greater luggage allowance of PIA.