Biman Bangladesh Airlines lacks smile
I had a scheduled flight to Thailand by Biman Bangladesh Airlines on 30th March, 2016. My wife was accompanying me. Boarding pass was timely issued and we got onboard after having a relaxed time at Balaka lounge. At the end of boarding bridge, there stood the airhostess with a plastic smile. Well, this is usual picture of all airlines. I was happy to fly by Biman after a gap and was even happier to have seen the newly purchased aircraft with a beautiful name, “Moyurponkhi” which has got back-seat screen also.
We were seated and after a while came an airhostess, who is in her mid thirty, to distribute nuts among passengers. She seemed to be in a bit hurry and was distributing the nuts in a gravy mood as if she was distributing relief food among destitute. Well, in the returning flight, it was worse. This time, it was an airhost who was in his early forty and what he did, he gave our nuts to my next passenger to hand them over to us! Let’s get back to Thailand bound flight. Lady pilot nicely announced that we were about to take off. Then an airhostess gave an announcement in Bengali and English with wrong pronunciation. After that when the aircraft was likely to be taxiing, pilot made a sudden announment that said, “We are facing a technical fault. We need some time to get it fixed.” And the waiting timer started.
We remained seated with no clue. After twenty five to thirty minutes, came another announcement from pilot saying, “Engineers are trying to fix the problem. We will let you know in a while whether we will be able to fly with this aircraft.” Again the waiting timer was on. The pilot was saying sorry in each announcement. But while the passengers were asking cabin crews, they were just saying, “We don’t know anything” with gravy, tired face. At last, the final announcement came that Moyurponkhi won’t be able to fly. We got off the plane and got back to lounge by bus. We were kind of stranded inside the waiting lounge because it was the final waiting lounge after having security check. So, passengers were not allowed to go back to the other area until it was an emergency, e.g. someone badly needed to use restroom.
We were stranded in this lounge around two hours without having been offered any hospitality, not even a sip of water. Passengers were gradually becoming impatient and among them, there were a few foreigners as well. A bearded gentleman from Biman Bangladesh was trying to get information using his walkie-talkie to know what time the next plane would be ready. He at the outset said, it would take roughly forty five to sixty minute to be onboard again but when it was more than ninety minutes, situation was kind of out of his hands when passengers were being restless and started commenting on Biman’s service. There were a number of women and children on that flight along with a few foreigners. Airline staff could have served a little refreshment and said a hearty sorry wearing a genuine smile.
In Japan, if the train is late for even five minutes, the train staff enters each and every boggy to say sorry to all the passengers by bowing down and the passengers are given a card which says train was late for authorities’ fault so that the passengers don’t have to face any trouble at their respective workplace for being late. There is no harm to learn from good examples, rather it will help us serve better.
After two exhausting hours, we were taken to another aircraft by bus and got on board. This time, it was an old aircraft with the broken stuff in the toilet (picture attached). Then came the unprofessional and heartless service of the cabin crews with NO smile on the face. These middle-aged crews need to be replaced with young boys and girls who would render service going on extra mile, going out of the box to brighten the image of 44-year-old national airline of the country.
Last but not the least, the food menu needs to be changed as well. Our Prime Minister also expressed dissatisfaction over Biman’s food menu in 2013 and that came to newspapers. Here goes the news published in the Financial Express on 13th July, 2013: Civil Aviation Minister Faruk Khan has called an emergency meeting with the high officials of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Sunday to improve in-flight service quality. The minister has taken the quick initiative after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her dissatisfaction over the in-flight service quality when she arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from a visit to London and Belarus, sources said. The Prime Minister commented that the service of the Biman remained the same for last 30 years. Enraged by her own bitter experience, she asked Faruk Khan: “Don`t you fly on other airlines? How do they provide better service?”
Honourable Prime Minister voiced the minds of the countrymen about Biman’s service. To make us think to fly by Biman, they have to really think on how to improve the service in all respect of this national carrier.
The writer is a Communication Trainer & Journalist. He can be reached at: ziahasan69@gmail.com
