I AM a septuagenarian with considerable global exposure. During my 46 years of international travel across the globe, I have used multiple airlines representing a range of countries. In the 1980s and ’90s, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) used to be my preferred option owing to its flight service and quality.
I began avoiding it when the standards started declining. When I came to know of its recent privatisation, I booked a seat ticket online to travel from Toronto to Islamabad. I thought the quality might have improved, but, as it turned out, the hope was misplaced.
The flight from Toronto to Islamabad (PK-784) was marked by service that was not to the expected standard; there was no entertainment, food was served only at the specified times, and crew members immediately turned off the lights at the first available opportunity. I am used to taking a short nap and working on my computer or reading some book during flights. But when I repeatedly asked the crew to turn on my seat light, they would just go to the intercom area and come back, saying it was not working.
Giving the benefit of the doubt, I thought the airline had been privatised only recently and that it might take the new management some time to improve the quality of service. However, what happened on the flight back from Karachi to Toronto after three months (PK-783; Aug 4) was horrendous.
I boarded the plane in the best of health. The plane took off around 10.30am, and breakfast was served thereafter. Soon, the lights were turned off, and the passengers had to sleep. I pressed the button to call the crew, but no one showed up.
I worked on my computer without any light for a while and then dozed off. I woke up feeling uneasy, nauseous and feverish. I was wearing a long-sleeve shirt, a warm jacket, and a blanket on top, but was still shivering. No crew member showed up at all.
Even though it was now increasingly becoming difficult for me to keep my balance, I managed to reach the intercom area where I asked a crew member for an extra blanket. The crew member, seated comfortably, instead of getting me a blanket, pointed me to the other side to pick the blanket that was lying over there.
About halfway through the journey, my condition worsened, and I was running a very high fever. I could not sit in my seat any longer and decided to lie on the floor near the lavatories. I do not know how long. No crew member came to ask why I was lying there and if I needed any help. It was total indifference and utter lack of professionalism. The only time a crew member came was to tell me to go to my seat. And, this was done in an irritating, commanding tone. All this was completely beyond comprehension. Regardless of PIA’s current management status, it remains a sick airline; sick in every sense of the word.
Mir Baiz Khan
Scarborough, Canada
Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2026
