India, Oct. 18 -- There's no denying the fact that Air India has a bad reputation. I thought much of it was due to unfortunate accidents and unruly, misbehaving passengers. But I was mistaken. At least some of it is because of the airline itself. A journey to Bengaluru last week was enough to convince me Air India can be its own worst enemy. See if you agree.

I was booked on AI 2819, which was meant to depart Delhi for Bangalore on Wednesday at 3.00 pm. Boarding was fixed for 2.00 and I arrived at the airport at 1.30.

We boarded on time but, shortly after the plane started taxiing, it stopped. For half an hour, we were not told what the problem was. Then, in the briefest, most incoherent announcement, the captain said there was a "techn...