KFA CEO takes Spice route

It is rare but not unusual for an airline CEO to fly another airline. CEOs may do so for convenience (urgent meetings, for instance) or to experience the in-flight service of a competitor. But if you are Kingfisher Airlines CEO such travel choices do raise eyebrows given the current problems in the airline. Last Sunday, Kingfisher CEO Sanjay Aggarwal flew from Mumbai to Goa on SpiceJet (of which he was CEO till recently) in afternoon even though Kingfisher has a flight to Goa 50 minutes later. He returned to Mumbai the same night on an Air India flight. The airline spokesperson says the CEO’s airline choice had nothing to do with the crisis in the airline but the timing of his meeting. But Kingfisher staff find that reason hard to believe. Travelling by another airline ensures that the trip remains hush hush. About a month ago, Aggarwal was mobbed by ground staff at Delhi airport demanding salaries. On flights, too, cabin crew have made the same pleas. We do not know why Aggarwal made that travel choice on Sunday but he would have surely had quieter flights to and from Goa.