Save Biman
Biman is the global ambassador of Bangladesh and very dear to us. Just because of so many people's love, trust and loyalty, it has continued to fly in the skies even after losing millions of dollars every year due to administrative corruption, mismanagement and poor service quality. It really hurts us to see it in such a bad condition right now. As a loyal customer, I would like to share some suggestions to improve the present state of our national carrier. Skipping the criticisms, some simple recommendations are made below: Biman should immediately add at least ten (Currently only 7 out of 12 aircrafts are in service) new generation aircraft which are fuel-efficient and safer to fly. As there is money constraint, if it cannot accept offers by Boeing or Airbus Company, it can go for lease agreements with other airlines whereby one airline provides an aircraft, complete crew, maintenance, and insurance, (ACMI) to another airline, which pays by hours operated. The lessee provides fuel, covers airport fees, and any other duties, taxes, etc. Also it should dispose off the age old DC-10s and F-28s keeping the Airbuses. Biman has Air Service Agreements with 42 countries, but it maintains flights to 18 only. Instead of having flights on low profitable routes, it can only go for the most profitable routes which require proper market research. As we have given permission to so many airlines on so many routes, where our Biman is operating, we are in a big competition where with few fuel-inefficient aircrafts, poor unfriendly service and administrative corruption we cannot survive. So to make the scenario improve, we can stop giving permissions to other airlines on those routes even in the domestic flights i.e. Sylhet, Chittagong, Bangkok, Kualalampur, Singapore, Kathmandu, London, Kolkata and all the M-E countries where so many of our countrymen reside. The customers are the kings. So, our cabin crew and airport-counter persons need to be more customer-focused, friendly, smiling, polite, caring and helpful. Proper and rigorous customer service training should be given to them. All over the world, airlines are going for ticket less online reservation system with the help of modern Information Technology. We should go for more transparent reservation and ticketing system by using IT to curb corruption and hassles. Even a long waiting in the check-in counter unnecessarily creates dissatisfaction among the customers. Lots of employees are not properly trained to ensure faster service and breaking of the queues takes place due to improper exercise of authority. These problems are to be addressed and monitored. Sometimes charging for the over-weight is not transparent. As there is no credit card payment system, cash is mishandled and no proper accounting and receipts are in practice. Instructions about extra payments and proper receipts are to be incorporated. Introduce a corruption free system in reservation, maintenance and procurement. There should be a monitoring team to check reservation errors, payment of agents' commission, mismanagement, wrong maintenance and to ensure procurement transparency. Timeliness can make poor airlines look better. Proper scheduling and planning are to be carried out. Luggage should be handled with more care and attention. Last but not the least, Biman should not lose heart as 150 million people are behind it.
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