things look really screwed up, and based on the facts and figures that are being portrayed from various sources, looks like the ship is certainly sinking. PIA started off as a great airline, doing everything right and at one point in time it was a role model for other airlines, it helped other airlines to setup operations, training, maintenance of aircraft etc. Then it got politicized, every PM and political started offering jobs with PIA as siyasi rishwat, this led to a massive ratio in terms of operational aircraft VS employees.
Well till PIA plans to become professional, and I really mean professional till then nothing much will happen.. I visited many of PIA’s departments in Karachi,Lahore and othe parts of world. I really found totally illiterate persons hired at places. You will find jahill wadera/Chaudry type person sitting at high positions of PIA engineering!!! and other departments like marketting and so on… and then PIA staff at various staff will let their friends and relative to take hundered of KGs of extra luggage for free, but then they will leave a poor person for one KG.. there are hundered of cases like these.
Other than that, PIA policies is just unable to grab more market and attract more passenger. I have seen that many Pakistanis just hate to fly with PIA, and that really includes me as well.
Last year I sent my wife in Business Class with my baby son ( two months ), the reason to fly in Business class to get extra care of baby. When my wife asked for bassinet, she was given a folded towel laid on floor and was told by the airhostess to make my baby sleep on ground on that folded towel!!!. Do you think that I would have used the return ticket of PIA after that.. Noway!!!, we flew by Emirates on return and were taken so much care with my baby, even that we were flying ECONOMY class.
All these situations lead to lossess and massive losses.
So PIA is in bad shape because they have too many employees?
I think a big part of PIA's worries is the competition with Airblue.
P.S. I've got my share of PIA horror stories if anyone is interested. =]
PIA and AIRBLUE, that is only domestic competition. Ever heard of Etihad,Emirates and GULF AIR. Emirates flies like 24 times a week to KHI, and 10 times to rest of Pakistan. Etihad nearly does the same and Gulfair is no different as well.. Other than that there are many other sectors where PIA is not making a single bit of profit, specially the far east.
I think they should've skipped the 772LR's and got an A340 instead, while still keeping the 772ER and 773ERs
Because LR's have less cargo capacity, a factor in PIA's earning because flights to this end of the world end up usually somewhat empty and cargo makes up for the lack of revenue.
I was on PIA's audit in 1998. And happened to read an international aviation magazine there. PIA was among top 20 airlines only one creterion - number of employees.
Well in the 60's and early 70's, PIA gave technical support to Emirates, Air Malta and Singapore Airlines and help them established.
Trying to get back home in the USA from Pakistan in 2002. Was in High School back then. They gave me ticket confirmation, they gave me the actual ticket stub.
Turns out once i get there, there are no seats. I wasnt even supposed to recieve any stub. My money was wasted. But then they snuck me in.
Crooked nation, crooked and inept national airline carrier.
Trying to get back home in the USA from Pakistan in 2002. Was in High School back then. They gave me ticket confirmation, they gave me the actual ticket stub.
Turns out once i get there, there are no seats. I wasnt even supposed to recieve any stub. My money was wasted. But then they snuck me in.
**
Crooked nation, crooked and inept national airline carrier.**
So you meant to sell, exclusive Air rights. Classy idea, present it too Mushi, But then people will cry about National Assets are being sold out blah blah. "main na manoon group".. Na idher k na udher k..
In addition to wrong policies of Governments and PIA management, PIA's employees have fair share in bringing this Airline down. Take a look at this quick look at the list
Employees (on standby tickets) never get precedence over paid travelers in any airline in the world but in PIA. Our Sifarishi culture to be blamed
In DJ College one of my class fellow was the son of PIA's Engineer and he used to bring "computer paper" from his father's office to use in college! Kgs and Kgs of paper and this is the story of every 2nd employee of PIA. I have seen PIA's cutlery /plates/cups/Tissue etc in many houses. I have seen PIA's buses being used for PICNICS and WEDDINGS
PIA's employee per plane ratio us really really high as compared to other leading airlines
PIA has to be freed from "Govt control" at least Govt should pay for the seats they block for official travels.
I have seen apney Pakistani bhai throwing trash on the floor of the PIA's plane who otherwise will dispose it properly in any other airline. For some reason we have a mentality that we can do anything in "PIA"'s plane that we will not try in other airlines just becasue its "our airline".
