The Chennai connection

IT SEEMS the holiday season is drawing people more to Chennai. To sell, as much as to take in the Coromandel sights.

United Airlines has also joined the fray, and its General Manager-India, Mr. Michael J. Purchon, dropped by to tell everyone about UA gearing up to become the largest foreign carrier flying out of the country (New Delhi) with round-the- world Boeing 747 services - no less than 14 flights a week.

UA is the only carrier to link India and the U.S. from both east and west, flying via London and Hong Kong, he told people here. But, the Aviation Management graduate from the Florida Institute of Technology, turns out to be close to India at a very personal level.

A keen golfer, water sport buff, and a certified scuba diver, Mr. Purchon is keenly interested in India. His mother's family lived in the country for three generations. His great grandfather owned a coffee plantation in the Nilgiris. His grandfather, Stanley Prater, was born in this area and went on to become a member of the Constituent Assembly in New Delhi. Michael's mother was born in Mumbai.

So what has it all taught him? That Indian travellers are choosy about their food. ``We have enhanced our menu to cater specifically for the Indian market offering a choice of Indian vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare besides Continental food in all the three classes.''

``We are adding seven inches of leg room in our Business Class seats with a reclining facility.''

For those who like to stretch out, UA is the is the first airline in North America to increase leg room by five per cent in the economy class, naming it economy plus without any extra charge,`` says Mr. Purchon.

By T. S. Shankar

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Previous : On 'Jack' again
Next     : Early screening helps