Monday, 22 December 2014

Vistara All Set to Pamper Indian Fliers

Fly the new feeling with Vistara 


From Left to Right_ Vistara crew members flank Ms Rashmi Soni Head Corporate Communication,  Mr Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara, Mr Giam Ming Toh, Chief Commercial Officer, Vistara, Mr. Kishore Mardikar, Head Marketing, Vistara

Ø  Unveils product, brand music, in-flight meal service, Frequent Flyer Program- Club Vistara
Ø  Announced strategic partnerships with Taj Group and SIA 



Business Class
42”seat pitch
7” seat recline
Extendable leg rest
Height adjustable headrest
Personal storage space
Plated meals
Premium Economy
33-36”seat pitch
4.5” seat recline
Leather upholstery
Winged headrests
Individual coat hooks
Tray service
Economy
30” seat pitch
3.5” seat recline
Leather upholstery
Winged headrests
Specially designed & branded meal boxes
New Delhi, December 22, 2014 – Aiming to transform the air travel experience in India, Vistara unveiled its unique product and service elements that will fulfill its core brand promise. The full service carrier will take off on January 9, 2015 with Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad-Mumbai as its initial routes. The attention to detail in fulfilling its commitments, made when the brand was unveiled, is clear. The hassle-free check-in and boarding process, with intuitively thoughtful on-board experience, comfortable and spacious seating coupled with carefully selected meals will deliver a seamless service experience to Vistara customers.

Vistara also unveiled its tagline‘Fly the new Feeling’, encouraging its potential customers to explore the product and feel the difference.The aural identity (brand music)of Vistara, embodies the spirit of the “carefree” world citizen connected with the emotion of the “caring” Indian soul created by a leading sonic branding agency - Brandmusiq, was also launched at the event.

Interacting with the media at the event, Mr Phee Teik Yeoh, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “Today we unveiled our long-awaited product and service elements that are a manifestation of our brand promise of delivering a seamless and personalized travel experience. My entire team and I are ready and committed to putting the joy back into flying, by being intuitively thoughtful and responsive to our customers’ needs at every stage of their travel experience. We thank everyone – our partners and well-wishers for supporting us in our journey so far. Let’s begin the New Year with a new airline and a new flying experience. We look forward to seeing you onboard soon.

Mr Giam Ming Toh, Chief Commercial Officer, Vistara, said, “We have all been waiting a long time for this. Today we share with you details about our carefully conceived product and services, specially designed to ensure a joyful and seamless travel experience. Within three weeks, our first flight will take off and we hope to give our customers a memorable experience through the blending of our innovative spirit with traditional Indian hospitality


Leveraging on relationships with like-minded service organisations, Vistara is working on interline sales agreements and other partnerships with a few major international airlines including Singapore Airlines and SilkAir.  These partnerships, more details of which will be shared later, will give customers of our partner airlines easier access to sectors serviced by Vistara. Further development of these partnerships will bring additional benefits to Club Vistara members and strengthen our value proposition.
Vistara also announced a strategic partnership with the Taj Group,India’s largest hospitality company. With a common objective to enhance the travel experience for our mutual customers, the partnership will eventually include tie-ups which will benefit members of the Taj Inner Circle (TIC) and Club Vistara loyalty programs.
***

Seamless Check-in experience
To ensure a hassle-free and seamless check-in experience for customers, Vistara’s innovative customer interface will offer four different ways to check-in, including an auto check-in facility, a first in domestic travel in India. Besides web check-in and check-in via the mobile app, Vistara will also provide personalized service and dedicated counters, as well as designated queues, for passengers to check in at the airport. Further enhancing the seamless experience, travellers with hand baggage can proceed for security once they check in at the mobile tablet service offered by Vistara customer service representatives.

Personalized comfort in the skies
Vistara’s 148-seater A320-200 will offer three cabin classes– Business (16 seats), Premium Economy (36 seats), and Economy (96 seats). The Vistara Business Class seats with 42” pitch, the largest by any domestic airline in India, offers exceptional leg room coupled with extendable leg and foot rests. Height adjustable headrests along with personal storage space ensures enhanced comfort. This coupled with exquisite and varied dining presented with linen and bone china service, add up to the finest flying experience awaiting the traveller on Vistara.
Vistara is the first full service carrier in India to introduce the ‘Premium Economy’ class. Customers here will enjoy extra space and ample legroom along with longer armrests, winged leather headrests and individual coat hooks. The dining experience in Premium Economy will be well plated with wholesome meal service.
Economy passengers will experience the comfortable leather seats with winged headrests and longer armrests accompanied with ample legroom. Travelers in Economy will enjoy interesting variety in meals, packed in smart boxes.

The interiors have been designed keeping in mind the customers' comfort and the on board service is replete with the thoughtful nuances and an attentive dedicated crew. The color palate is rich and distinct with royal aboriginal and classy grey, creating a relaxing and soothing ambience.

Meals and Dining
The chefs who worked on the Vistara menu have curated a special dining experience using fresh and locally sourced ingredients to prepare healthy meals to ensure that passengers arrive at their destination feeling light and fresh. An eclectic mix of international and modern Indian dishes which incorporate non-traditional ingredients for unique yet familiar flavours will be on offer. The menus will change every week and will only reappear every 4 weeks to continuously offer new dining experiences for frequent travellers.

A choice of two non-vegetarian and one vegetarian meal will be offered in business and premium economy, while in economy there will be a choice of one each. Additionally, there are 17 special meals for customers who require these for either dietary, religious, or medical reasons. Customers with special dietary requirements will need to book the same while booking their tickets or at least 24 hours in advance through our Customer Service Center.

Feel exclusive with Club Vistara
Airline’s frequent flyer program, Club Vistara, is an innovative loyalty program specially designed to benefit the customers. Its value-based accrual scheme, will enable customers to earn points basis the money spent by them. Keeping up with the times, Vistara has done away with the physical cards. Customers can start enrolling for the program through Vistara website and download their Club Vistara loyalty card.Additional bonus points can also be accrued as customers get upgraded to become Silver and Gold Members. Another unique feature of this program is Family Pooling which allows up to six members of a family to pool their points which can be redeemed by any one of them. Vistara will also be partnering with a few brands from the airline and non-airline space to extend benefits/redemption of points to their members thereby enhancing engagement with them.

Mobile App Accessibility, coming shortly, will offer on-the-go account access.

Soulscape
BrandMusiq, a leading sonic branding agency, has created Vistara’s aural identity with its brand positioning at the core. The mogoscape (soundscape for a brand) will express the spirit of the “carefree” world citizen with the emotion of the “caring” Indian soul. Western musical influences such as the piano, guitar, and drums form the foundation to convey the spirit of a “carefree world citizen, while Indian overtones of the sitar, flute, voice, and tabla are used to reflect the intuitively thoughtful and caring Indian soul.

Monday, 15 December 2014

Ratan Tata"s Dream,Airline Project Vistara gets clearance

                                                    All Set for Take Off

 

  Start of sales and date of the first flight to be announced shortly

New Delhi, December 15th, 2014 –Vistara today received the Air Operator Permit (AOP) from the regulatory authority, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),allowing the airline to begin commercial operations in the country. The AOP is a significant milestone as it is the final step in a highly technical and complex compliance process. Headquartered in New Delhi, Vistara will begin operations with its fleet of brand new Airbus A320-200’s and will soon make an announcement on the start of sales, routes and schedules.




Over the last few months the Vistara team has been focused on complying with regulatory requirements for all procedural checks and finally the proving flights to qualify for the AOP. 

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Prasad Menon, Chairman, Vistara, said,“Receiving the AOP is a key milestone for Vistara. It is a reflection of the dedication and determination of our entire team and we are all looking forward to the first flight with excitement. We are aware of the expectations we have to live up to and look forward to shaping a success story in Indian Aviation with the realization of this dream.”

Mr.PheeTeik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara, said,“I am delighted that we have successfully cleared the final requirement and secured the AOP. We are thankful to the Ministry of Civil Aviation for their support and guidance during the entire process. All our energies now are going to be concentrated towards fulfilling the Vistara brand promise. Our focus on customer service excellence coupled with unique product offerings will ensure seamless travel experience to our customers.”



Friday, 12 December 2014

Innovation at its Best at British Airways: 'Happiness Blanket'

                   British Airways Showcases its 'Happiness Blanket'



Taking the experience to a whole new level, British Airways recently showcased its ‘Happiness Blanket’ during a celebratory event in New Delhi to celebrate 90 years in India.

‘Happiness Blanket’ is a revolutionary device that visually shows the well being of a passenger in real time by changing colour to reflect their mood while on-board. The blanket is woven with fibre optics, uses neuro-sensors to measure a person’s brainwaves and changes colour, from red to blue, to show when they’re at their most relaxed and meditative.

The airline hopes monitoring a person’s sleep and relaxation patterns during a flight will inform decisions made to improve aspects of the in-flight service; from changing the timing of meals, what food is served and even the types of films shown – to make flying and sleeping on British Airways flights even more relaxing.

This is the first time this technology has been used by any airline to help shape how service is delivered on board an aircraft.


Click on the link below to see the British Airways ‘happiness blanket’ being tested on a British Airways flight at 30,000ft:


Tuesday, 9 December 2014

TAKE OFF WITH THE BRITISH AIRWAYS 90 yrs SALE of 74%!

                                          

90 years ago was the first flight with the 'City of Delhi'.

Bag a bargain to the USA on Club World and World Traveler with savings of up to 74% 



New Delhi, December 5, 2014: Thousands of seats and hundreds of holiday destinations are closer to you with the British Airways sale that starts today (December 5, 2014).

Take a trip to the US with return flights from Delhi to San Francisco starting at just INR 53,760 (all inclusive return fares) with savings of up to 74% on the base fare. Connect from Chennai to Chicago on Club World (business cabin) with a discount of up to 37% on the base fare. British Airways invites all its Indian customers to fly from the five cities it connects in India to any destination of their choice in the US.
The offer is available on flights booked in Club World (business cabin) and World Traveller (economy cabin) for sale period, December 5 -15, 2014 and outbound travel on or before March 31, 2015.

Christopher Fordyce, Regional Commercial Manager, British Airways, South Asia, said “We are delighted to launch the biggest sale of the year for all our Indian customers to visit some of the best destinations in the US, whilst enjoying our award winning facilities on-board.

“This is a significant year for us at British Airways as we celebrate 90 years of flying to India. At British Airways, we take great pride in delivering the highest levels of innovative customer service and are proud of our long standing association with India.

“With connectivity to over 500 destinations in association with American Airlines, our customers will arrive, depart and transfer through Terminal 5, British Airways’ dedicated home at London Heathrow, which offers a smooth and seamless travel experience.”

Customers can experience exceptional comfort and impeccable service on board its flights. British Airways’ Club World cabin combines elements from the home and business to create an ideal environment that is comfortable, flexible and private, while World Traveller is a full-service economy cabin packed with all the comfort and benefits at an affordable price.

2014 marks a landmark year for British Airways and as part of these celebrations the airline has introduced an array of special initiatives for its Indian customers.

British Airways currently operates 49 flights a week from five key cities in India- Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Customers can book their whole journey on ba.com, earn frequent flyer points on the codeshare routes, gain access to shared airport lounges and enjoy outstanding customer service and support from American Airlines as well. Customers are urged to book their tickets and avail this incredible opportunity.


Routes:
Fly From
Fly to
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad
Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington




Tuesday, 2 December 2014

Delhi Airport:Asia"s Best Prepared Airport To Handle Fog

L-R: Marcel Hungerbuehler,COO, Dr. R.K Jenamani,IMD & I Prabhakar Rao,CEO 


On 28 Nov,2014 Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) had a work shop on Fog Preparedness as the chilling winter along with Fog is about to set in Northern Part of India.The event was quite an insight about How DIAL is better prepared than last year. I Prabhakar Rao, CEO DIAL & Marcel Hungerbuehler shared how DIAL is better equipped than ever before to provide a seamless experience to guests.

Key Points:-

·         Delhi Airport-Collaborative Decision Making (DA-CDM) completes two years
·         Low Visibility Procedures (LVP) cell to function inside AOCC
·         Runway 10/28 to have redundancy in the form of additional RVR transmitters
·         New localizers added
·         Backup radar fully integrated into system
·         2000 more chairs for passenger convenience
·         Over 7,000 trolleys in service
·         Deployment of increased manpower for housekeeping
·         Additional helpdesks for fog related queries

New Delhi, November 28th, 2014: Ahead of the fog season, operator of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL) has made all necessary arrangements to minimize inconvenience to passengers and ensure continuity of flight operations during Low Visibility Period.

Speaking on the preparedness DIAL CEO, Mr. I PrabhakaraRao said,“The Delhi Airport Collaborative Decision Making (DA-CDM) supported us very well last year. Unlike previous years, the system enabled us to recover much faster at the time of flight disruption during low visibility condition. A DA-CDM LVP (Low Visibility Procedures) Cell has also been positioned inside Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC). This new system resulted in saving of XX fuel last year.”

DA-CDM is a concept focusing on improving Air Traffic Flow and Capacity Management at airports by reducing delays, improving the predictability of events and optimizing the utilization of resources. It involves airport operators, airlines, ground handlers and ATC collaborating and sharing data through automated system to increase overall airport efficiency. It will enable optimum utilization of ATC resources, runways/taxiways etc. resulting in reduced workload of controllers, minimum ground delays, reduced radio telephony congestion and increased level of safety.

“Installation of back up RVR transmitters, new localizer and integration of radar with the existing one would immensely support the flight landing & take offs when the visibility falls. To reduce delays and congestion due to fog, we have devised a plan that would ensure smooth flow of flight information, almost on real time basis, to the passengers,” added DIAL CEO, Mr. I PrabhakaraRao.

The three runways 28, 29 and 11 at the IGI Airport are certified for CAT III B operations, which would allow landing of the compliant aircrafts.

Speaking on the arrangements, Mr. M C Dangi said, “Air Traffic in India and at IGI Airport, Delhi is growing at a rapid pace but presence of state of the art infrastructure and support from all stakeholders especially the airport operator DIAL has helped us immensely during the last fog period. If the launch of Delhi Airport-Collaborative Decision Making (DA-CDM) was the game changer last year, this year we hope to accelerate with the introduction of redundancy measures taken for the RVR equipment. The challenges faced during last fog season, provided us new opportunities to review not only the existing procedures but also the infrastructure requirements at Delhi Airport. Under the leadership of the DGCA, AAI, IMD, DIAL and all other stakeholders are taking additional measures to ensure a hassle free service to the air passengers during this winter.”

The facilities available at T3 and T1D during this fog season are aimed at not just providing the passengers timely information but also to offer them all possible amenities supported by modern infrastructure. The overall highlights of DIAL’s readiness for the fog season are as follows:-

Passenger Terminals- T3, T-1D and T1C
·  Ensure 100% availability of FIDS system
·  Display Met information at MATVs inside Terminals
·  Frequent updates to passengers/visitors on ETDs & ETAs
·  Four additional conspicuous helpdesks are installed at entry gates where information on cancellations and delays will be displayed
·  Dynamic deployment of Terminal Operations staff at critical positions to guide passengers and provide information
·  Additional F & B counters are provided for passengers with the intent of ensuring adequate supplies (including in Piers).  In Domestic and International Piers each two locations.
·  Seating arrangements have been enhanced
·  All airlines are briefed for deployment of additional staff for appropriate manning of Check-in counters / Boarding gate areas during fog situation.
·  Adequate number of trolleys and trolley pushers:
o    Additional seating capacity has been provided in the terminal building
o    Total trolleys available (T1&T3) is 7075
o    Sufficient F&B outlets available
o    Ensure 100% availability of FIDS system, with continuously updated information
o    Cleanliness of the toilets and the terminals will be ensured during fog through deployment of additional manpower
·   Dedicated Senior Team will be available during the LVP period]]
City Side
·  Tow Crane is kept ready for smooth traffic flow
·  Additional Traffic Marshals are deployed for smooth taxi flow during fog
·  Adequate lighting is provided in the Car Parking
·  Airport Patrol Vehicles fitted with PA system, Radio Sets and Beacons
·  Terminal 1 to have one more radio taxi operator-Meru
·  The complete Airport road network is distinctly & clearly painted with Retro reflective paints with Glass beads for better visibility.
·  All the signage’s have retro reflective tapes of high quality which gives better directional control for the driver.
·  The road edges have road studs which reflect & emit lights.
·  All U-Turns have adequate chevrons & road studs to give a distinct clarity of the edges.
·  The LUX levels of all electrical poles are maintained for better road visibility.
·  Reflective tapes are fixed on all electrical poles.
·  There are Go slow Led barriers on required barriers.
·  No vehicles are allowed to park on the roads. Our 24x7 patrolling by the bikers keeps on removing vehicles parked on the roads.
Airside
·       Runway 10/28 has a backup RVR system to maintain redundancy for the first time at any Indian Airport
·       Runways 11/29 has 5 sets of RVR equipment, which support aircraft to utilize full length of Asia’s longest runway
·       Runways 28, 29 & 11 at IGI Airport are certified for CAT III B operations, which allow compliant aircraft and trained pilots to land even when the runway visibility is down to 50 meters
·       148 parking stands are equipped with Aeronautical ground lighting system which helps Aircraft to operate in CAT IIIB conditions
·       As pilot has limited view from the cockpit, Follow me service is provided to facilitate Aircraft movement. Trained professionals are deputed for follow me service
·       TAXIWAY guidance lights suitable for Low visibility Operation
·       Crash Fire tender are deployed at critical position during all Low visibility operation to respond to any emergency
Online information
DIAL's website, www.newdelhiairport.in, will provide the following services:
·  Live Flight Information
·  Online Cab booking
·  Meta search facility for hotel and airline booking
·  Interactive airport maps
·  Weather forecast (with extended search of 04 days)
·  Worldwide weather forecast
IGIA live on Social media:
Dedicated page on Facebook as: https://www.facebook.com/DelhiAirport, Twitter handle as @Delhi_Airport and m.newdelhiairport.in for the mobile users
Other Initiatives
· Regular Updation on Flight Information Display Screens.
· IGI Airport has its 24x7 call centre (0124-3376000).
· Special training given to airport staff


If you liked this article, please share it with your friends.



Love aditya.

Follow us on Twitter by clicking  here

Follow us on Facebook by clicking here  

Tuesday, 12 August 2014

JEtihad More questions than answers!!

 



Etihad Airways & Jet Airways joint press conference in Mumbai yesterday,which followed merely after hours of Tata SIA brand name announcement of "Vistara" was a very interesting event both in terms of briefings & presentations made & also in terms of body language of the Jet Airways Chairman, Mr. Naresh Goyal.

Lets talk about body language first,will discuss presentation details later.

3 things which i observed & worth mentioning are:- 


1.Mr. Naresh Goyal was very aggressive & full of confidence & made certain promises which were cheered by a round of applause from our friends in media too.

2. After making each promise he turned his head towards James Hogan as if conveying to him " Vaada mat tod dena,Izzat Rakhna types"

3. CEO designate Cramer Ball,is a smart man,kudos to his courage that he accepted " Multiple brands have confused our guests ". 

But in the end,this press event left us all with more questions than answers!! 

1. What is meant by single brand strategy ? 

2. Will only Jet Airways remain & Jet Lite & Jet Konnect will become history ? 

3. Will Jet Lite,which is a subsidiary,be merged into Jet Airways ? Or Jet Lite will continue to be a separate company,with a separate AOP & a separate work force as until now & just word Lite/Konnect on aircraft"s livery will be replaced by Airways ? 

4. Will all 11 Jet Lite 737"s be re-configured then to bring it at par with Jet Airways FSC product ?    

5. Indian Aviation has seen 2 mergers,One was Air India & Indian Airlines,which is still caught in legal battle.HR issues,Pay Parity & seniority issues exists till date in Air India!! Second was Air Deccan being merged into Kingfisher Airlines,we all know what happened to KFA!!     

6. If merger of Jet Lite happens into Jet Airways,will this crop up any HR issues ? How NAG Pilot union of Jet Airways react to it ? 
How will Jet Lite pilots react to it ? If every Jet Lite Pilot is asked to be at bottom most of the Jet Airways seniority list,APL,then will a Jet Lite Captain,Check Pilot,TRI,TRE accept being junior to a Jet Airways First Officer ? I highly doubt it!! 

7. What will happen to 18 ATR"s of Jet Lite ? In yesterday"s PC there was no mention of ATR"s not even once!! We all know Etihad Airways is  allergic to ATR"s & ATR doesn't figure in Etihad"s scheme of things for a feeder hub at Abu Dabhi,as an ATR cant fly beyond a certain range!! 

8. Will all ATR"s be sent back in a phased manner ? Has Etihad already set a dead line for same as rumoured earlier ? 

9. If all ATR"s are sent back then what will happen to 200 odd Pilots of ATR fleet ? If they will have so many surplus pilots & also huge backlog of people to be trained & a handful awaiting joining post training from 2011 & 2013 CPL induction ( total around 200 ) then why is Jet Airways planning another round of hiring ? When will they be trained,join & released as an online First Officer,only GOD can tell!!  

Last but not the least,

10. Mr. Naresh Goyal said "We are examining a possibility of a dedicated freighter carrier out of India"!! Will this also be along with Etihad via FDI mode as 100% FDI in a cargo airline is allowed ? Or will this be a sole Jet Airways venture on its own ? 

Indian Aviation is getting interesting day by day & many more surprises awaits us!!

Thanks for a patient reading.

Feel free to share this post on Twitter,Facebook & where ever you like. 

Love aditya.

Follow us on Twitter by clicking  here

Follow us on Facebook by clicking here