While timely payment of salaries has become a dream at both AI and Kingfisher, the crisis in Mallya's airline has suddenly made employees long for the safety of a sarkari job - even if it too happens to be a mostly unpaid one. Before airhostesses, Kingfisher had witnessed an exodus of pilots with nearly 140 leaving in past two to three months. 

"We are facing a severe crew shortage because of which our flights keep getting delayed. There are times when pilots are in cockpit but the plane can't operate due to crew shortage. 

We are looking out for airhostesses and have got many applications from those serving some other airlines. Some months back, we recruited people from other big airlines for our operation control room at Delhi's IGI Airport," said an AI official, adding the airline is not yet recruiting pilots though it's getting many applications from pilots working in other airlines. 

To cut costs, Kingfisher started shutting crew bases in some cities. The airline did not comment on this story. Employees at both companies have become extremely uncertain over salary payment.

ET