Air India Software Development Engineer salaries in India (Updated 2025)

Likes

Good Salary and Perks: If you have the right connections with top management ( family members, relatives, friends etc), you're rewarded with a great salary, impressive designations and hefty hikes even though you lack skills or domain knowledge.

Dislikes

...ng HR with concerns only results in them echoing "We're facing the same issues". Expect no resolutions - Gossip & Lack of Confidentiality: 1 to 1 HR meetings soon become the hottest gossip around the office - Salary Discrepancies & Inconsistences: There are significant disparities in pay and roles, with designations arbitrarily assigned. - Unapproachable and Rude" The HR team is not only unhelpful but also downright rude 2. Leadership dynamics: - Mandatory Flattery: Employees are forced to address the Chief Digital and Technology officer as " Doctor Satya", reinforcing a cult-like reverence - Rigid Work From Home Policy- WFH is a luxury rarely granted even during emergencies, leaving employees to practically "beg" for any flexibility 3. Work Culture: -TCS Clone Syndrome: The company seems hell-bent to replicating TCS's work culture. Senior management predominantly hails from TCS, fostering an environment steeped in outdated practices and political manoeuvring. You can see this the most in the Kochi office with real backstabbing actions from the head and sides. 4. Unstructured Product Development: -Ad-Hoc Requirements: Product development is driven by Satya's (I forgot to add Dr) verbal directives with no clear roadmaps or designated product owners. -Deadline Madness: The focus is solely on meeting last-minute deadlines for high-stakes demos, creating a pressure cooker environment - Backstabbing Politics: The upper echelons, a close-knit subset of TCS alumini, thrive on internal politics. Criticize anyone or challenge the recruitment process and you'll find yourself on the receiving end of betrayal/ 5. Team Hierarchy Issues: - Skewed grading: It's not uncommon to see team members outranking their leads, sometimes even with 10+ years of experience and skill set being undervalued compared to freshers or favouritism recruits. - Nepotistic Promotions: Only those with the right connections can secure a position just beneath the head, regardless of merit 6. Recruitment Issues: - Favouritism over merits: Hiring decisions favour personal connections (notably TCS friends) over actual skill sets. It's common for recruits with minimal experience or competency to be paid more than industrial standards while deserving candidates are left aside

Likes

Okay Salary. Employee Travel policy. Immediate coworkers. Learning opportunities.

Dislikes

5 days in office policy. Poor work culture in many teams. Too much politicking happening between the Gurgaon / Kochi teams. Incompetent upper management when it comes to employee morale. Beyond useless HR. No proper roadmaps for product development, way too many things are driven based on the day to day whim of the CTO.

Likes

1. Cutting-edge technology: Air India D&T is well-equipped with the latest technologies. 2. Employee leisure travel: Employees benefit from leisure travel opportunities. 3. Good family insurance: The company offers solid insurance coverage for families.

Dislikes

1. HR issues: Disorganized HR processes. Significant salary discrepancies. Inconsistent role and designation structures. HR is described as unapproachable and rude. 2. Leadership dynamics: Employees are instructed to address the Chief Digital and Technology Officer (Dr. Satya) as "Doctor Satya." Work from home is rarely granted, even for emergencies, requiring employees to "beg." 3. Workplace culture: Many senior members are from TCS, and there is a push to implement TCS's working culture despite being an airline product company. 4. Unstructured product development: Development is often driven by Dr. Satya’s verbal requirements, without clear product roadmaps. No designated product owners for specific departments. Focus on meeting deadlines for Dr. Satya's demos. 5. Team hierarchy issues: Team structure is skewed, with team members sometimes holding a higher grade than team leads. This creates parity issues. 6. Leadership-driven decisions: Suggestions are sometimes disregarded in favor of Dr. Satya's preferred approach. Last-minute changes due to reviews by Dr. Satya increase pressure on the team. 7. Lack of professional IT processes: There is a perceived lack of professionalism and structured IT processes. 8. HR expertise concerns: The Kochi HR manager's background as an ex-cabin crew member is noted, suggesting a lack of HR expertise. 9. Recruitment issues: Recruitment appears to favor connections (e.g., TCS friends) over relevant skill sets.

Likes

1.Life insurance 2.Travel benefits (Seats are subject to availability, and priority is determined by grade , which has been incorrectly assigned for most of the employees) 3.Internet , mobile reimbursements 4. There is a defined structure for IT related matters such as deployments .

Dislikes

... rather than employee advocates. 8.There is glaring issue of grade disparities . The pay and titles are all over the place , with no transparency or fairness. Merit doesn’t matter- connections and politics do.

Likes

1. Salary is paid on time. 2. If you know someone in the top level, then you will be recruited without interview or promoted without much issue. 3. If you are from spicejet or ex-Jet Airways you will get job easily.

Dislikes

1.One of the worst work cultures. 2.Demotivating work environment. 3. Only friends of seniors are recruited or promoted. 4. TATA CODE OF CONDUCT is name sake. Big words to say, doesn't work in the organisation.