The seats and space were sub-par but I won't go there as the main point that hit me is the lack of training all around of the new cabin crew.

BHPian V.Narayan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Used Air India for a Delhi-London leg and then two weeks later the London-Delhi leg. The aircraft on both flights was a Boeing 777 leased from I think Delta airline. The seats were in business class and here are my points based on my observations and conversations with the cabin crew.

On both sectors the cabin crew of 5 serving a business class of 32 pax took, hold your breath, 4 hours plus from take-off to complete the drinks+lunch service. I spoke to them and understood that all were new recruits with less than 6 months on the job. I quizzed them, in a nice avuncular way, with my grey hair, about the procedures and sequence they have been trained with and in my assessment, they are getting woefully weak training. My background in my ex-business gives me a very strong insight into cabin crew training and these young people in their 20s have clearly not received the training needed to run a galley efficiently and on time. Worst of all they were surprised when I told them that the entire service from drinks and nuts to cheese and crackers should take no longer than 2 hours and 15 minutes at the most. Mind you these were young people, enthusiastic, eager to serve and courteous unlike the rudeness or condescending tones one could encounter on Air France or United or British Airways. But they were clueless.

The old more experienced Air India crew from the PSU days were in the first class and economy class cabins with the new raw recruits in the business class with no adult supervision. Training & testing followed by more training and testing is at the heart of aviation which is what makes it not only the safest mode of transport but also the most integrated industry in the world. I think someone forgot to tell Air India this.

The seats and space were sub-par but I won't go there as the main point that hit me is the lack of training all around of the new cabin crew. God forbid if this lot had to deal with an emergency!!

Two odd years after the Tata takeover Air India is still struggling to find its way out of a brown paper bag. Rather sad.

I'm still willing to be patient and give the Air India management time to sort themselves out. But when training curriculum is so weak it tells me all is not well with the new Air India leadership's approach. It is one thing to order 400+ airplanes and quite another to get your working crew upto scratch.

Here's what BHPian RunGaDa had to say on the matter:

My experience from a big IT company. The company I was working for was taken over by another bigger company. The new company laid down their Do's and Don'ts. It was pretty clear within a month that most if not all the old staff will be replaced. This is required if they want to wash out the old company way of working.

Tata should do a complete purge.

Set the process right.

Have penalties for every violation.

Then set benchmarks.

No other way.

Here's what BHPian handsofsteel had to say on the matter:

I travelled to Heathrow in Jan this year for a tournament that my son was participating in. Onwards was a combo of indigo+qatar (with a layover at Doha) and return was via air india as I wanted a direct flight.

The Air India flight itself was a nightmare. More than half the screens of the in-flight entertainment were not working. The call button for the cabin crew was not operational in a single seat! People were compelled to walk up to the crewing station and request for basics like water. My son was asked to take extra cups of juice when he went to request the crew to have a look at the in-flight entertainment!! Water was being doled out in 75 ml small styrofoam cups meaning, a person like me would have to make 5 trips just to quench my thirst. Despite being a desi carrier, the food paled in comparison to the meal on the Qatar flight, both in terms of spread and the taste. The clincher? The Air India flight, being direct, was more expensive than the Qatar+Indigo one.

The worst part... An aged Aussie couple, seated next to me, was trying their best to navigate the in-flight entertainment, one of which was stuck and the other blank. after a while, they sought my help. Despite my best efforts, when it couldn't be made operational, the lady turns towards her husband and says,"I told you, the guide books said that you have to expect these with Air India."

My complaint on return elicited the cliched response, "We are sorry for your experience, but better days are ahead as we have ordered 400 new aircraft."

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My favourite features are the ventilated seats, height adjustable seats, adjustable steering position and the lane assist and ADAS.

BHPian CityScrambler recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I got one of the first few Tata Safari Facelifts on Dassera Day  Accomplished plus top end.

I've driven about a 1000 kms and thought I would mention some points. Bear in mind that I have driven a Tata Nano all my life so this was a big big jump for me.

Why did I choose this car to begin with? I mean working with the Tatas I do have a sense of loyalty, but you know you look at a vehicle sometimes and you just know. Everytime I park her (her name is Yuki) I turn around to stare a bit, that's how you know I guess.

This might sound a bit amateurish but to me it is the equivalent of an Indian discovery. In the seas of SUV's that are getting churned out today I needed something that has different DNA in its looks and this facelift did it for me.

Pros:

• On the highway you are quite literally running on water. It eats up the miles with such ease and comfort you don't know when your intercity trip ended (for me that's Mumbai-Pune)
• It has a LOT of power at its disposal. Having driven a Nano I am used to maneuvering through traffic zipping and I thought I would have to give that up but she lets me do it in the city anyway (Mumbai).
• The sports mode is AGGRESSIVE. You can notice a slight change in engine sound notes too and its very exciting.
• The 19 inch alloys are so attractive they immediately set the SUV apart.
• The space is ridiculous. My dog travels with me a lot so I wanted the second row to be bench seats instead of captain. Works for me perfectly. The bench is higher than the front seats which according to my passengers gives them a very good view.
• It is heavily feature loaded. I was concerned with so many features so many things can go wrong especially coming from an analogue car. But my favourite features are the ventilated seats, height adjustable seats, adjustable steering position and the lane assist and ADAS.
• The "Hey Tata" feature that works like Alexa is surprisingly good. I use it usually to open the sunroof, reduce or increase AC temperature and blower and music commands.
• Gesture controlled tail gate is fun once you get the hang of it.
• The terrain modes of rocky road, hill mode, wet road are more than sufficient for someone like me. I do not hanker for the 4X4 but I understand it’s a must for others.

Room for improvement:

• The interiors are gorgeous with the piano black setup but I got mine PPF'ed to prevent the scratches, which they are very prone to.
• I have disabled some of the ADAS features since the notifications and tone interrupt and kill the music. (For example when you turn on the indicator it immediately gives you blind spot camera) I'm guessing a software update should fix this.
• The new grill is so aggressive but difficult to clean.
• So all in all I love this car quite a lot, I am still getting used to the size of it but now that I get into every lane and by-lane with courage because that is the only way to get used to it. It does everything across a spectrum and I am happy to answer any questions

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This particular car was gifted by Mr. Tata to my sister's family for their invaluable support to him.

BHPian Kartik Deshmukh recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello everyone,

The Honda Civic definitely was a success in our country, but now it is considered to be a more humble car as it has gotten a little old and weary. This one might just be a humble Civic, but the person who used to own this humble Honda is a national treasure. Mr. Ratan Naval Tata. Mr. Tata is considered to be one of the most humble individuals and yet his work sees no boundaries. This particular car was gifted by Mr. Tata himself to my sisters family for their invaluable support to him. In the end, whether it be a Honda or a Ferrari, the man who owned and drove these cars is just too valuable. And I am quite sure Tata’s might open a museum someday showcasing some of Mr. Ratan Tata’s memorabilia. This post is shared with a view of not garnering any unnecessary attention, but sharing it with liked minded people in the interest of provenance.

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Interestingly, most of his cars are left-hand drive and it is said that he prefers cars the way they are specced at the country of origin and that he deals with the manufacturer directly instead of any dealership. Mr. Tata also seems to love convertibles and V8s.

Ratan Tata is one of the most respected industrialists in India. The former Chairman of Tata Group is known to be one of the most humble people in the automotive industry and is credited with bringing cars like the Nano and the Indica to life. Mr. Tata is a passionate automotive enthusiast and owns a variety of cars. He does not change his cars often and his collection ranges from an exotic Ferrari to a humble Nexon. Interestingly, most of his cars are left-hand drive and it is said that he prefers cars the way they are specced at the country of origin and that he deals with the manufacturer directly instead of any dealership. Mr. Tata also seems to love convertibles and V8s.

Although some of his cars are regularly driven, he has a collection of American classics that rarely come out. Along with the cars mentioned in this thread, Ratan Tata has also been seen being ferried in cars like the Honda Accord.

In his garage, Ratan Tata is said to have had a custom car cover made for every car, and all cars are connected to a trickle charger. He even has wooden tyre stops to prevent the car from accidentally hitting the wall while parking.

Ferrari California

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The most famous car in Ratan Tata's garage. His Ferrari was the first California to land in India. The industrialist says that this is the most exhilarating car in his garage and turns heads wherever he takes it. He loves the sound of that V8.

Jaguar F-Type S

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While the F-Type is a fantastic choice of sports car, I am not a huge fan of the choice of soft top colour on this car. The arrangement of the exhausts in pairs, spaced out further from the center indicates that this would be a V8-powered F-Type. The exhaust can make quite a racket in this car with pops, bangs and crackles. Not visible in the pictures, but this car is left hand drive too.

Maserati Quattroporte

A four-door sedan that every enthusiast loves to drive. The Quattroporte shared its engines with Ferrari. This fifth generation of the car came only with a Ferrari V8. Ratan Tata says that the suspension is softer than a Ferrari, but it's still an amazing car to drive. The car pictured above is said to be Tata's Maserati and has been occasionally spotted with the only 360 Modena in India, which belonged to Sachin Tendulkar.

Mercedes-Benz SL500

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This is the fifth generation of the SL and comes with a 5.5L V8 engine. This SL500 also gets a '500' number plate, and happens to be LHD. Ratan Tata was quoted as saying that he thought it was terrific when he got it, but now the excitement has faded and it's just another car in his garage. He has been seen in it on multiple occasions, as it's hard to miss Mr. Tata cruising around in an eye-catching convertible like this.

Cadillac XLR

Another popular car in the garage is a two-seat roadster from the 2000s known for its power retractable hardtop, Bulgari designed interior instruments, head-up display, adaptive suspension and near 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution. It was Cadillac's flagship model when unveiled in 2003. This is one of Ratan Tata's favourites due to its impressive acceleration, and he claims that the suspension of the car is stiff when compared to American standards.

Mercedes W124

This W124 has been impeccably maintained and looks factory-fresh. Clearly shows the passion he has for his cars. This one is said to be an E220. I am unsure if this W124 is still in the garage.

Honda Civic

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Coming to a more regular daily-driver, this Civic would often shock people who saw it. Not because it was RNT in a Civic, but because quite often he'd be seen pulling up at 5-star hotels self-driving it! Being one of the enthusiasts top picks, Ratan Tata must have enjoyed that high-revving VTEC engine. A lot of top Tata execs were also given white Civics as company cars around this time.

Buick Skylark

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This perfectly maintained Buick Skylark was imported in 1978 and was probably the first Skylark in the country. It came with a 5.0L V8. According to media reports, the car was later sold.

Tata Nexon

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One of the newer Tata cars in the garage is one of the safest cars on sale in the country. The Nexon was the first Indian car to get a 5 star safety rating from GNCAP. Tata's Nexon is a diesel variant.

Tata Nano

Ratan Tata is well known for the part he played in the creation of the Nano. No surprise that this would be a must-have in his garage! The car might have been a marketing disaster, but no denying that it is one of the most intelligently designed cars India has ever seen.

Mercedes S-Class

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Every successful businessman should have an S-Class. Ratan Tata says that after his sportscars, this "feels like butter and goes like a glider", as he claimed in this Autocar article. It is said that he has a W221 S350 CDI. This first S-Class picture is for representation only.

Land Rover Freelander

One of the few SUVs in his garage is the entry-level Land Rover, with rather distinctive red upholstery.

Tata Indigo Marina

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Ratan Tata loves dogs and the added practicality of an estate meant that he used the car to take his dogs around. The backseat of his Marina was removed and a mattress was put in there for his dogs to sit on.

Chevrolet C4 Corvette convertible

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He sure has taste. Of the many American classics that he owns, a C4 Corvette Convertible takes prime spot. The above picture is for representation only, as pictures of the actual car aren't available anywhere online. Oddly, online data shows a registration date of June 2019, and that's not the only strange thing about it. Earlier this year the Mumbai Police busted a lady for having the same registration number on her BMW.

Chrysler Sebring

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The Sebring was a mid-size sedan by Chrysler and was sold between 1994 and 2010. It was replaced by the Chrysler 200. Ratan Tata claims that he loves the colour of the car and that is what inspired the colour of the Tata Indica that was showcased at the 1998 Geneva Motor Show. The car shown here is for representation only.

W211 E270 CDI

This is said to have been one of the most used cars in the garage, after the W124. This pic is for representation only.

Rolling back the clock to the '90s and early 2000s, Ratan Tata was often seen in a Maruti 800 and Esteem.

Along with his love for cars, Ratan Tata loves planes. He has a pilot's license and often flies his own planes.

Dassault Falcon 2000

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The Falcon 2000 is a French business jet. Tata's jet has the registration number VT-TAT, and often flies the plane himself. There are a lot of car enthusiasts who own their own private jets, but not many fly them as well!

F-16

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Taking his love for flying to the next level, Ratan Tata co-piloted an F-16 that belonged to the US Air Force during the 2007 airshow in Bangalore. With this, he became the oldest Indian to fly one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world, at 69 years of age.

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According to a media report, Ratan Tata is likely to invest an undisclosed amount in Tork Motors - a Pune-based electric bike start-up.

Tork Motors is developing its first electric bike called the T6X since 2015. The bike could be in its final stages of development as prototypes have been spotted testing on the road.

The Tork T6X is said to be powered by a lithium-ion battery, which is claimed to offer a maximum range of 100 km on a single charge. The company claims that the battery can be recharged to 80% of its capacity in 1 hour. The bike has a claimed top speed of 100 km/h. The T6X also uses Tork Intuitive Response Operating System (TIROS), which compiles and analyses various parameters like power management, real-time power consumption and range forecasts.

In 2016, Tork Motors had secured funding from Bharat Forge and Ola Cabs founder Bhavish Aggarwal.

Source

N. Chandrasekaran has been appointed as the new Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of Tata Motors. He is currently the CEO and MD of Tata Consultancy Services, the group's IT arm. This appointment comes after the earlier Chairman, Cyrus Mistry, was ousted from the designation in October last year. Since then, Ratan Tata has been acting as the interim Chairman of Tata Sons. Mr. Chandrasekaran will be taking his new charge from February 21, 2017.

Having worked with TCS since 1987, N. Chandrasekaran has been at the helm of proceedings at TCS since 2009. Under his leadership, TCS has touched great heights and is currently the most valuable company in India with a market capitalization of over US $70 billion. This successful run of Chandrasekaran in his current role has been an important factor in finalizing his name for leading the salt-to-software conglomerate.

The appointment was made after detailed deliberation by a five-member panel that included Ratan Tata, TVS Group head Venu Srinivasan, Amit Chandra of Bain Capital, former diplomat Ronen Sen and Lord Kumar Bhattacharya. With Chandrasekaran moving to his new role, Rajesh Gopinathan has been appointed as the new CEO of TCS.

In a shocking move, Cyrus Mistry has been removed from the post of the Chairman of Tata Sons. This decision was taken after the conglomerate's board meeting. Ratan Tata has now taken over as the Interim Chairman of Tata Sons for a period of 4 months. The board of directors has also appointed a selection panel, which will include Ratan Tata, Ronen Sen, Venu Srinivasan and Amit Chandra in order to find Mistry's successor.

No official reasons behind Mistry's exit have yet been put out. However, there are reports that the company's board of directors was not happy with the former Chairman's intent to only focus on profit making businesses, rather than embarking on an innovative approach. Mistry's decision to shut down the company's steel business in Europe had also attracted tough criticism from within the company.

Ratan Tata had stepped down from the Chairman's post in December 2012, after appointing Cyrus Mistry as his successor. He had been at the helm of proceedings for 21 years before making way for Mistry.

Cyrus Mistry is the son of Pallonji Mistry, who is currently the single largest individual shareholder of Tata Sons.

Source: Economic Times

Ratan Tata, the chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, has been inducted in the 2015 Automotive Hall of Fame for his contribution to the automotive industry. He has been credited with the turnaround of Jaguar and Land Rover, returning the two British brands to profitability.

Ratan Tata acquired Jaguar Land Rover from Ford in 2008. Jaguar Land Rover has doubled in sales and employment, more than tripled its turnover, and invested £10 billion in new product creation and capital expenditure. Last year was the fifth successive year of growth for Jaguar Land Rover. Tata's investments in Jaguar Land Rover saved or created over 33,000 jobs in England.

Under Ratan Tata, Tata Motors also launched the Tata Nano, the cheapest car in the world.

Along with Rata Tata, Luca Di Montezemolo, former chairman of Ferrari and Roger Penske, founder and chairman of Penske Corporation and Rodney O'Neal, former CEO and president, Delphi Automotive PLC, and Elwood Haynes have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Automotive Hall of Fame was founded in 1939. Earlier inductees include the likes of Karl Benz, Ettore Buggati, Henry Ford, Ferdinand Piëch, Sergio Pininfarina and Ferdinand Porsche among others.

Source: Autocar Professional