Sky is the limit for flying politicians

Air India, the state-owned flag carrier, has unveiled an attractive package for AP politicians making frequent trips to New Delhi.

Under the discount scheme, all frequent fliers will get 50 percent off on fare with a minimum requirement of ten trips to the national capital in a month, a stipulation that many Congress leaders will find easy to meet. The women politicians will get an additional 33 percent relief to enable them to effectively fight for passage of the long-pending women reservation bill in the Parliament.

“After a prolonged research by our expert teams who studied the travel patterns of favour-seekers, power brokers, ministerial aspirants and back-biters, we have formulated this innovative package,” said a spokesman of the domestic carrier.

Elaborating on the salient features of the scheme, he said a special offer has been designed for those making pilgrimage to 10, Janpath. Keeping in view the difficulty being faced by these devotees in securing appointment with their deity and the uncertainty surrounding their return trip, the airline has offered a flexible model under which validity of discount has been extended up to 30 working days.

As a special gesture during the period of waiting, free transport by Volvo coaches will be arranged from AP Bhavan to the entry point at Janpath once a day.

On special festive occasions like legislature party meetings, cabinet formation and expansion, specific offers on bulk bookings will be worked out. “Buy Two, Get One Free” offer will be applicable to central observers drafted to oversee the sacred ritual of legislature party meetings to pass one-line resolutions on a plethora of pressing issues ranging from selecting new chief ministers to deciding the names of new anti-poverty schemes.

“For example, if Pranab and Moily are traveling, Azad will get Azadi from airfare,” the spokesman explained.

Aviation experts said that the new scheme would help the domestic carrier improve its bottom line in view of the potential for exponential growth in volumes. “The Delhi-bound traffic is expected to grow multifold, thanks to prolonged political uncertainty in states like AP. This augurs well for airline industry,” an analyst said.

“This scheme is a boon for us. In real terms, we can actually reduce burden on tax-payers,” said a legislator who was once struck in the national capital for 28 days, waiting for appointment with the party president.

However, the opposition BJP cried foul and said it was yet another instance of gross misuse of power and subversion of state-owned institutions. “This will bleed the public carrier dry,” the party spokesman said.

       

In a tongue-in-cheek remark, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said the Air India flights should henceforth be called AICC (All India Congress Carriers). “Clearly, they are on a flight of fantasy, dreaming of coming to power in the next elections. But, their dreams are bound to be grounded,” he said.

The airline spokesman, however, clarified that the discount scheme was politically-neutral. Citing the high potential of BJP traffic on Bengaluru-Delhi route, he said the saffron party could also avail the discount offers during such testing times.