The problem with airlines...

Pilots declare strike. Management threatens. Pilots go on mass sick leave. Management sends doctors to their homes. Had it not inconvenienced so many travelers, this was just the kind of comic relief to lighten up these gloomy days of recession.

Today's strike aside, most airlines worldwide are headed for a disaster. I think the problem is lack of creativity. Airlines is a boring industry in every aspect. They are highly capital intensive and are subject to several regulations due to safety concerns. Consequently, they are "boxed" within a certain framework with very little room for creativity. Take the safety instructions by the crew before takeoff for example. (It is only Southwest that has managed to break out and the results are there to see.)

Even the names are boring. Jet Airways, Spice Jet, Indigo, Go Air. One would be pardoned for concluding that the law requires airlines to include either Jet or Go in their names. Even worldwide, the names are surprisingly drab. Except for Virgin which has gone to the other extreme, and following in its footsteps, our own Kingfisher.

Contrast it with how IT firms are named. Apple, Sun, Oracle, Google, Adobe etc. Except for Microsoft, no one felt the need to announce what business they are in, let alone where they are from. Whereas for airlines the preferred choice is the nationality of the airline followed by "airlines".

The only way the airlines can come out of their perpetual slump is by hiring a software CEO.