Imperial class

Whenever the Indian prime minister travels abroad, he invariably takes a chartered Air India Boeing 747, which is re-configured for his needs; that means a private cabin, while accompanying officials travel first class, and the media posse travels business class (upgraded from economy after there were protests). A second plane stands by, in case the first develops a snag. The comparisons with British Prime Minister David Cameron are telling. Cameron, too, chartered a plane, a Virgin Atlantic, because unlike British Airways aircraft, it was configured with only two classes — business and economy. British prime ministers, it turns out, are only allowed to fly business class. Even if they are offered free upgrades to first class, they are obliged to decline. Those in attendance on him have to fly economy. Meanwhile, the 100 British businessmen who accompanied Cameron came along with him in the chartered plane (and presumably defrayed the cost of the charter). In India’s case, any business delegation timing its visit with the prime minister’s has to fly separately.