My last flight on Kingfisher Airlines April 2, 2012
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Airlines, Aviation, Branding, India, Marketing, Social Media, Travel, UAE.Tags: Airlines, Dubai, Kingfisher Airlines, Mumbai, Social Media
5 comments
I’m a loyal customer of India’s Kingfisher Airlines. I first flew Kingfisher in Jan 2011 but since then I have flown them 15 times. I fly them as much as possible. I often pay a premium to fly them even when I have cheaper or non-stop flights available. I even recommend it to those who are looking for flights to India. The only time I flew another airline to India instead of Kingfisher I felt like I was cheating on a partner.
What I like the most about Kingfisher is how they make me feel special when I fly with them. Another reason I love to fly them is their social media engagement. I became a loyal Kingfisher customer because of how they engaged with me on social media the first time I flew with them and have been connected to me since then.
I have watched with growing unhappiness the decline of the airline over the last few months. In my mind, Kingfisher has been one of the finest airlines in the skies, truly deserving its 5-star rating by Skytrax.
So when Kingfisher announced that they would be pulling out of Dubai, I knew I had to be on the last flight, just for the sake of good old times. So I flew Dubai-Mumbai-Dubai, leaving on Friday, 23rd of March and returning on Saturday, 24th of March.
On Friday evening as I was getting ready to leave for the airport, I got a call from the Guest Relations Manager based at Dubai. When he introduced himself, my first fear was that he was calling to tell me that my flight was canceled. Thankfully not. What he told me blew my mind away. “Sir, I’m calling to let you know that your favorite seat 9A has been booked by another passenger. I have blocked 9F for you. I have also kept aside Row 12 for you should you like to sit there. We will try to talk to the passenger who has taken 9A and try to get it back for you.” I said in my mind “Whoa, you really didn’t have to do this. Especially not in a difficult time such as this.”
So, this is the deal, whenever I’m flying Kingfisher, they know what my favorite seat is and always block it for me, no matter what the aircraft type. If it is an all-economy Airbus A320, it is 9A. At airports across the world, I have walked up to Kingfisher check-in counters and asked for my favorite seat, only to be told that they have already been pre-assigned for me. Score.
Jeffrey, the Guest Relations Manager who had called me earlier, was waiting with a complimentary lounge access card for me at the check-in counter. We spoke about the current state of affairs at Kingfisher and his words to me were ‘We are hoping for a miracle’, ‘pray for us’ and ‘we wish we had more passengers like you’. I got my boarding pass, shopped at the Duty Free and ambled to the Marhaba Lounge were I downed Chardonnay. Soon it was time for boarding and Jeffrey walked me to the waiting plane and ensured I was comfortably settled down.
IT044 flown by Airbus A320, registered VT-KFF had 50 odd passengers and was soon up in the air. The in-seat screen videos were conspicuous by the absence of Kingfisher chairman Vijay Mallya’s cheerful address. The captain made an announcement highlighting that the safety of passengers was Kingfisher’s priority and wouldn’t be compromised, perhaps an allusion to the negative press about the airline’s operational concerns.
Dinner was soon served by the Kingfisher damsels in red. I went for Chicken Biryani with Kheer. I’m usually not a huge fan of Kingfisher’s in-flight meals but this dish was gobsmackingly delicious. Dinner was followed by a drink of Whyte & Mackay Scotch Whiskey with club soda and ice. Soon we commenced our descent into Mumbai and upon landing I was on a bus to Mumbai CSI Airport Terminal. I then proceeded to kill a day in Mumbai.
I reported for my return flight IT043 to Dubai at 530pm. The once buzzing Kingfisher check-in counters at International Departures bore the look of a deserted ghost town. IT043 was Kingfisher’s last outbound flight to Dubai. I walked up to the counter and gave my passport to Avilon, the Guest Relations Manager whose face lit up on seeing my passport. “I saw you standing in the line and knew that would be you, Mr Rajagopal.” I’m often told that I’m bit of a celeb flyer among Kingfisher staff.
He then went on to hand me a bag with a beautifully wrapped gift. I just remembered that I had tweeted to Kingfisher the previous day before booking my journey about where I could get a Kingfisher plane model to keep as a souvenir of my travels with them. That was the plane. He then gave me a complimentary access to the Celebrations Lounge. My preferred row was already blocked on the plane. I think my eyes welled up at this point.
He then walked with me to Immigration where we again spoke about the airline and its declining fortunes. I knew my words of solace would not have been of any help.
My flight was delayed by more than an hour, but I wasn’t complaining at all. I ambled around the expansive duty free at Mumbai Airport. There were around 50 odd passengers on the last flight, Airbus A320, registered VT-KFV. We took off and the crew went around with their business in a nonchalant manner trying hard not to show the worries of their carrier. Dinner was a repeat of the yummy Biryani and Whiskey fare. I was exhausted and dozed off, only waking up as my flight touched down at Dubai International.
I boarded the bus to Terminal 1 and thought of all the good times. When they held back a plane once at Bengaluru so that I could board after running late. The time I got a special tour of an Airbus A321 cockpit. When they chased me down at Chennai Airport to ensure that I had lounge access while waiting for my connecting flight. When the charming guest relations agent at Kochi told me how I was famous among them and then added that ‘we would have never left without you’ (another running late incident). When I discovered at Bangkok that they had my fav seat blocked without even me asking for it. When they served me first in the cabin on my first flight with them and asked me ‘Mr Rajagopal, what would you like to have for your meal?’, probably the first time the crew of any airline addressed me by name in 28 years of flying. About the numerous times I have been personally dropped off or fetched from a plane by their guest relations agents. About the times I have never had to stand in long security lines because I would always be escorted by a staff. All while flying Economy.
Thank you, Kingfisher for all the good times. You will be dearly missed. Thank you to all the Kingfisher staff who have served me well over a year. You have been truly exceptional in both the good times and the not so good times. I hope it works out for you. Safe travels!
Seattle Ahoy on the Emirates Inaugural March 9, 2012
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Airlines, Aviation, Travel, UAE.Tags: avgeek, B777, Boeing, Dubai, Emirates, Inaugural Flight, Seattle, Water Cannon Salute
add a comment
So I lost control of my #avgeek senses and flew off to Seattle for a weekend on the inaugural Emirates flight out of Dubai.
I’ve always wanted to go to Seattle, visit Boeing and the Future of Flight Museum, catch up with #avgeek friends in the Puget Sound and most importantly, get on an inaugural flight and experience a water cannon salute. So I HAD to be on the inaugural EK229 on 1 March 2012 and tick off a couple of items on the bucket list.
Seattle is an amazing place and I don’t say that just because it is the home of Boeing. I will be back soon with more stories on Seattle but till then, enjoy these 2 videos!
Click here to read a travelogue of my trip featured on ArabianSupplyChain.com.
My secrets to air travel on a budget June 10, 2011
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Airlines, Aviation, Social Media, Travel, UAE.Tags: budget travel, Cheap flights, Cleartrip, Expedia, flights
2 comments
I’m a budget conscious traveler who takes a lot of pride in unearthing the best travel deals. I’m usually the guy my friends come up to because I always lead them to the best travel deals in the market. What’s my secret sauce?
Today, there are a plethora of online resources available that help you unearth great bargains no matter where you are flying to. These tools are my lifeline.
In today’s post, I’m going to put out some of my secrets as well as some cool tips that can help you discover great deals when it comes to flights. Fasten your seat belts, folks!
For this exercise, we need an itinerary. So let’s say you would like to fly between Dubai (DXB) and Kochi (COK), round trip, outbound on Wed, 22 June and inbound on Wed, 29 June.
Tip 1: Consider traveling on weekdays instead of weekends (Thu-Sat) if you are in the Middle East. Ticket fares on weekdays are way cheaper than weekend travel.
Tip 2: If you are flying solo or if you are not in a rush to reach your destination, consider connecting flights over non-stop flights. Usually, flying direct and non-stop costs more than flying via another destination. The exception to this rule is if you have a low-cost carrier operating on your selected route.
Step 1: Investigate if a low-cost airline or budget airline is flying your desired route. Typically, low-cost carriers or budget airlines are cheaper than full-service airlines, especially if you book your ticket at least 3 months before your departure. Sometimes, up to 3 weeks before your departure. However, you will find budget airline fares at par with full-service airlines as you get very close to your journey dates. Sometimes, you might even find seats on budget airlines sold out.
Step 2: Google now offers you a cool feature where you can enter a destination and it will show you all the non-stop flights that are operated from your departure city to your destination of the choice. Go to Google and enter “flights from DXB to COK” and it will show you that there are 3 daily non-stop flights on the route, 2 operated by Emirates and 1 operated by Air India Express
Step 3: Now run a search on a travel website. Most online travel websites such as Expedia and Travelocity do not list low-cost airlines or budget carriers. However, checking out prices on them is always useful as:
- You get more options if you are willing to take connecting flights.
- You can get cheaper deals if you are willing to do the above.
- You get to check out both non-stop as well as connecting itineraries in a single window.
- You can experience multiple airlines and layovers especially if you are a travel freak like me.
- You can unearth last minute deals on certain routes if you are lucky.
- You will always get a good idea of the price range you need to pay that you can use to make an informed travel decision.
- Travel websites give you the unmatched ability to compare between itineraries on the basis of multiple parameters such as fares, total journey time, number of connecting flights, arrival time, departing time etc. which you won’t gain by visiting a single airline website.
My three most recommended travel websites are Kayak.com, Expedia.com and Cleartrip.ae. You can never go wrong with them.
Step 4: Run the search on Kayak.com – entering all the details like destinations and dates and Kayak shows you that best fare is $110 on Bahrain Air. Unbelievable, ha? But there’s a catch – the outbound flight is 16hrs long because of a long layover in Bahrain while the inbound flight is 6hrs30mins. The next best deal is Gulf Air with $409 with 6 hrs of travel time each on both inbound and outbound legs. I wouldn’t recommend the long itinerary on Bahrain Air unless you are that price conscious!
Step 5: Run the same search on Cleartrip.ae – Cleartrip is quick to tell me that my best option is again Gulf Air with AED 1,553 ($422.7). Cleartrip is also sharp in telling me that I have an option of flying non-stop on Air India Express on the same route with the fare coming up to AED 1,563 ($425.5). 3 Dollars more and I get to save 2 hours because I fly non-stop, and my decision is made. Air India Express, it will be.
However, Cleartrip has a special cash back offer if I use a VISA credit card to book my ticket. In this itinerary, I get a discount of AED 75 ($20.4) bringing my final fare on Air India Express to AED 1488 ($405.1).
Step 6: Run the same search on Expedia.com – Expedia tells me my best fare is again the Gulf Air deal that Cleartrip.ae recommended. But, they are giving me a price of $409 instead of Cleartrip’s $422.7. Expedia does not list Air India Express on its itineraries.
However, Expedia shows me another result, another connecting flight option on Kingfisher Airlines, costing $417. What if you wanted to fly on Kingfisher? Just out of curiosity I looked at the same Kingfisher deal over at Cleartrip. There it costs AED 1799 which is $489.7 – $62 more than Expedia. If you apply the Cleartrip Visa offer deal, the fare comes to AED 1724 ($469.3), still $42 more than what Expedia is offering.
See how intriguing this gets with same deals on different websites throwing up different prices. This is why comparison is important.
Step 7: Now run the same search on Gulf Air.com & AirIndiaExpress.in (this is just a value-added search to see the fare difference between the airline website and the travel website). You will be surprised sometimes at what you get out of this search.
So here are the prices for our final consideration, following Steps 5, 6 and 7.
| DXB-COK-DXB | Gulf Air Via Bahrain |
Air India Express Non-Stop |
| Expedia | AED 1,502.28 ($409) | Unlisted |
| Cleartrip.ae without offer | AED 1,553 ($422.7) | AED 1,563 ($425.5) |
| Cleartrip.ae with VISA offer | AED 1,478 ($402.3) | AED 1,488 ($405.1) (The Winner) |
| Airline Website | AED 1,515 ($412.4) | AED 1,522.22 ($414.4) (The Runner-Up) |
So if you wish to fly non-stop, the clear winner is Cleartrip.ae, if you have a VISA credit card. This fare is cheaper than the airline website itself which is such a great steal. Had you gone straight to the airline, you would have ended up paying $9.3 more.
I made the searches between 5pm and 6pm (GMT +4) on Fri, 10 Jun. The pricing dynamics are always fluctuating, but stick to this approach of smart online searching and you should still get better travel deals. Also, try being flexible with your travel dates. Had I decided to make my date of inbound travel as Tuesday, 28 June instead of Wednesday, 29 June, I would have saved AED 70 ($19) with Gulf Air. Also, note that this is work in beta and I’ll be adding more tips in the future.
To recap, my magic formula:
- Identify key budget airlines & full-service airlines on your route.
- Run searches on Kayak, Expedia and Cleartrip. Watch out for special offers.
- Match fares.
- Cross-check and confirm on the respective airline website. See where you save more.
- Make your decision. Happy flying!
This post was brought to you by eezeer, another cool online travel tool I’m excited about. Eezeer is a new web and mobile social network that features tweets and location-verified reviews related to travel. How eezeer works is interesting. By gathering thousands of tweets and through members’ travel reviews via a mobile app, eezeer quantifies reliable opinions to create an overall picture of how a particular travel brand is viewed in the public eye through social media. This quantity is called “Karma”. By checking out the reputation score and reviews of airlines, hotels and airports you can make informed travel decisions. eezeer currently moderates tweets from 391 airlines, 692 hotels, 152 airports and has verified 291154 users from twitter. For more information on eezeer, click here.
The King of Good Times: A social media surprise from Kingfisher Airlines February 25, 2011
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Airlines, Aviation, Branding, Conversations, India, Social Media, Travel.Tags: Airlines, Bengaluru, Dubai, Kingfisher Airlines, Kingfisher Red, Social Media, Twitter
10 comments
As an aviation geek & a social media marketing professional, I keep a close eye out on airlines that are blitzing the social media trail.
On last count, there are over 180 airlines on Twitter. Every airline worth their salt is on Facebook building communities and rewarding loyalty via contests.
What I love most about airlines that are doing social media right is: those who are using social media to listen to their customers and offer them delightful surprises. Such a rare experience happened to me last month, via Kingfisher Airlines.
Kingfisher Airlines, based out of India is one of the world’s seven airlines to be ranked as a 5-star airline by Skytrax. They fly to 63 domestic destinations and 8 international destinations with an Airbus & ATR fleet. Headed by one of India’s most flamboyant tycoons Dr Vijay Mallya, Kingfisher has built a strong brand for itself in service and quality over the years. It wouldn’t be unfair to call Kingfisher the Virgin America of Indian skies.
I have watched Kingfisher’s meteoric rise and often lamented the fact that I have never flown them, primarily because they don’t fly out of Muscat. Anyhow, a great opportunity to try Kingfisher for the first time came up last month and I decided to fly them outbound on Dubai-Bengaluru-Cochin and Chennai-Bengaluru-Dubai on my inbound leg.
Kingfisher is active on Twitter and as always, I tweeted before my departure that I was flying them. I received a reply from them asking me to enjoy their service. Quite the appropriate thing to do on social media, yes?
I arrive at Dubai Airport on the date of my departure, stood in a snaking queue of flustered passengers waiting to check-in. When my turn came, I noticed the check-in agent spend a few extra seconds looking at her screen and then proceeded to consult with her supervisor before handing me a complimentary Lounge Access card. Now, how great is that?
Unfortunately, I couldn’t check out the Lounge as I was running late for my flight, so I boarded the all economy A321 and we were soon wheels up to Bengaluru. After reaching cruising altitude, the cabin crew started meal service. I noticed that they rolled up the cart straight to where I was sitting (somewhere in the middle of the plane) and asked me “Mr Rajagopal, what would you like to have for dinner?”
That was an absolute stunner for me. I know in premium classes it is a practice for crew to know beforehand who they are serving, but moi flying in Y class (or cattle class as one prominent Indian politician once described the back of the bus)? The crew knew my name and that was an absolutely delightful surprise for me. They served me well & I sure got a few envious looks from around the cabin.
The 2 cabin crew members who worked my section would come up to me once in a while and ensure that I was all comfy. Nothing artificial, but a genuine and warm desire to serve well, which is sadly missing from a lot of airlines this day. Believe you me, these are the little, personal touches that make flying such a lovely experience for me.
When I inquired how the crew knew me by name, I was told that they were informed beforehand that I would be flying with them and was asked to take special care of me. Social media at work, yes? 
I felt like the ‘king of good times’ as I thoroughly enjoyed my flight and didn’t forget to compliment Kingfisher in my feedback form (I believe they should look at the paper quality of the form as ball point pens don’t write well on them – minor detail, I know).
I landed early morning at Bengaluru and almost missed my connecting flight to Cochin due to a security snafu. I literally missed my bus to the plane. However, the kind people at Kingfisher got me ferried to the waiting ATR in their car just in time. I hopped on the plane and we were off. Trust me on this; they could have left without me. Will never forget the sight of an ATR waiting on the ground on a misty morning, the crew peeping out of the door and me diving into it with my rucksack pulling me back. Reminded me of how we jump into moving trains. Another big star from me.
Landed in Cochin and I was happy to let Kingfisher know that my flights went well and they DMed back wishing me a great time in India. (Almost sounds like a love affair, hmmm?)
So I spent the next couple of days train hopping across India (I think I spent 7 out of my 9 days sleeping on overnight trains). A week later, I was ready to make the hop back to Dubai. I was flying from Chennai and on my local train ride to the airport, I was wondering if I would have any similar surprises in store.
I was met by this very helpful Kingfisher ground staff who helped me with my bags. And I did make a note of how Kingfisher staff are generally polite, professional and courteous. You begin to feel that these people, whether they are at the low end or the high end of the line, are carefully cherry-picked to live a certain brand vision that leads to delighting customers.
Proceeded to check-in and gladly got my fav seat on an A321 which gives you humongous amounts of legroom. There were no surprises waiting for me at the check-in desk. Must say, I was slightly disappointed after all the pampering a week ago. I traipsed across the terminal towards a Maggi noodle stall and went on to ravenously chomp down a noodle bowl.
As I gulp through my noodles, I spot 2 Kingfisher staff make a beeline for me and I’m like – Uh Oh! Crew: Mr. Rajagopal, we were looking for you… So again, Kingfisher decided to make my day. Minutes later, I was escorted into a lounge at Chennai Airport (at this point was beginning to feel like royalty) and the staff promised to fetch me before boarding. Spent a good 30 minutes in the lounge and then she was back. Trust me, nothing beats the experience of being chaperoned by a Kingfisher crew on the ground. I did manage to count a few envious looks and did I say I didn’t have to stand in a line for my security check? The lovely crew member hopped with me on the bus and literally dropped me at the door of the plane. My mind was flying at 35k feet by then.
The flight to Bengaluru went without incident. Must say, I liked my seat on the ATR in front of the plane which is the only row facing the rest of the seats. They are comfortable and you get a feeling of flying in a biz jet. Landed at Bengaluru and was at met at the door of the plane by another Kingfisher staffer. I know that at this point this is all sounding like a giant ego-fueled fairy tale. But then this gorgeous staffer walks me from the plane, takes me through immigration and security, mind you, no standing in queues again, you are introduced everywhere as a ‘guest’ and then proceeds to comfortably ensconce me in a premium lounge at the International Terminal.
I tuck into some fine Sauvignon Blanc, Paneer rolls and rum cake as I wait for my ‘Bus to Dubai. My ‘handler’ appeared again before boarding and walked me on the airbridge till my jet, bidding bye and safe travels.
Wheels up to Dubai, great food, much better than on the inbound leg, caught some shuteye and a perfect landing – didn’t even know if we touched ground, just floated in and came to a stop at the airbridge. As we deplaned, the Captain came out to say hello. A great ending to an awesome Kingfisher tale.
So what’s the summary of this whole experience? Just a fluffy piece singing a lot of praise in favor of Kingfisher for making the day of a planegeek? Well, they earned it and yes, a big thank you to them for giving me one of the best flights in my life.
Will Kingfisher roll out the same red carpet treatment to everyone who tweets to them about their journeys? Perhaps not. But have they won a loyal customer and strong brand evangelist in me. Definitely, yes.
To sign off, brands engaging in social media take off to a new level when they are able to consistently and creatively offer value, engagement and delightful surprises to their audience. It all starts from caring to listen and daring to surprise. Amen!
Some Facebook love, please! February 8, 2011
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Airlines, Aviation, Conversations, Social Media, Travel.Tags: british airways, contest, eezeer, Facebook, Travel
add a comment
I could use some Facebook Love.
I wanted to give you the heads up on one of my latest adventures. I’m participating in an in-flight photo contest called ‘Love is in the air’ on Facebook from eezeer Travel Reviews. The pic with the most Facebook likes gets to win… an iPad!!! And that could be me with some Facebook love from you!
This is my entry, clicked in 2008 on a British Airways B777 flying from London Heathrow to Muscat. Ahh, those were the long-haul days of my life.
“Loving my Chard on another British Airways B777 from London Heathrow to Muscat in 2008. Love my wine. Love my music. And love my flights.”
eezeer® is a mobile and web-based social network for travel that provides real-time, on-the-spot, verified tweets and reviews.
If you feel like giving me some Facebook love, all you need to do is:
1. Like the Eezeer.com Travel Reviews Facebook page by clicking here; and then
2. Like my photo submission to the contest by clicking here.
The contest ends on 28 February 2011 and I can use all the likes I can get. If you are going to vote for me, thank you in advance for your time and effort! I totally appreciate it. Fly high people!
Update 1: 10 Feb – I’m currently on 130 likes & 30 short of getting to #1. Show is on!!!
Update 2: 14 Feb - I’m now on 312 likes & currently leading. The contest lasts till 27th Feb, so please continue to share the love!
40 out of 40 for Oman Air September 2, 2010
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Advertising, Airlines, Aviation, Branding, Marketing, Oman, Travel.Tags: Airines, Aviation, National Day, Oman, Oman Air
2 comments
Launches 40th destination ahead of 40th National Day of Oman.
Pic credit: Christophe Selzere, JetPhotos.Net
Congratulations to Oman Air, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, who launched Kathmandu, its 40th destination today. 2010 is of great significance for the Sultanate as it marks the 40th National Day of Oman (the birthday of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said is on 18 November). Every corporate in the country is involved in a marketing activity to do with the #40, so it is great to see Oman Air celebrate in a unique manner by launching their 40th route.
Oman Air commenced operations in 1993. It achieved modest growth as a privately owned regional player till 2007, when the Government of Oman pulled out of Gulf Air, designated Oman Air as national carrier, recapitalized it and focused on developing it as an international airline. In 2007, Oman Air went long-haul by launching Bangkok and London. From then on, there has been no looking backwards for Oman Air, with a penchant of doing business differently from its bigger cousins in the region.
Pic credit: Smit ZhiFei, JetPhotos.Net
Oman Air - Flying High
2008 saw a slew of changes at Oman Air. In February 2008, Oman Air unveiled its new branding and aircraft livery as a part of its plans to go international. The characteristic Red, White and Green national colors and traditional Khanjar gave way to Turquoise Blue, Silver and Gold along with a Frankincense smoke plume in an effort to project Oman Air as the new wings of Oman and the ambassador of a nation known for its timeless traditions, vibrant heritage and legendary hospitality.
The year also saw the launch of new routes to the Indian Sub-Continent and the unveiling of a new fleet and long-haul route expansion program. In July 2008, industry veteran and former chief executive of Srilankan Airlines, Mr. Peter Hill took over as the new CEO of Oman Air following the untimely demise of CEO Ziad bin Karim Al Haremi, who played a stellar role in initiating the redevelopment and change of image of Oman Air.
2009 was truly a bellwether year for Oman Air. Under the leadership of Mr. Peter Hill and a revitalized management team, Oman Air went all out to dazzle the industry in a year of superlative achievements. The year witnessed in rapid succession the arrival of the first of Oman Air’s brand new A330s, the launch of Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Male and Colombo, the unveiling of new Balenciaga designed uniforms, the launch of industry-leading First, Business and Economy Class cabins on the A330 fleet. A $10 million destination marketing campaign in association with Ministry of Tourism saw both Oman and Oman Air make great inroads into European markets. During the 2009 Dubai Air Show, Oman Air finalized an order for 5 Embraer 175 aircraft with another 5 options.
Oman Air First Class Cabin
Oman Air Business Class - 1st in world to offer 4-abreast seating in cabin
In 2010, Oman Air became the first airline in the world to offer in-flight mobile and WiFi connectivity through OnAir onboard its long-haul Airbus A330 fleet. It is interesting to note that Oman Air covered impressive strides during a period when the airline industry was weathering a downturn.
Having made significant investments in infrastructure and improving its products and services over the last few years, the future looks robust for Oman Air. The airline has a strategic vision of differentiating itself from its regional competitors by being a niche boutique airline that is focused on driving point-to-point traffic rather than being a hub-and-spoke carrier.
The results of ‘Change is on its way’ and ‘Discover the future of air travel’ are promising. During the first half of 2010, Oman Air saw a 40% increase in available seat-kilometres, a 73% rise in revenue passenger-kilometres and a 14 point improvement in seat factor, over the same period last year with passenger numbers up by 46% and cargo by 44%.
Along with the ongoing development of Muscat International Airport, Oman Air is playing a key role in the development of 4 domestic airports coming up in Sohar, Ras Al Hadd, Adam and Duqm. In October 2010, Oman Air will launch Milan as its 41st route. The airline will take delivery of its 7th A330 in 2011along with the first of Embraer jets that will ply on domestic routes. Plans are on to refurbish the existing B737 fleet to the same standards as the luxurious A330 fleet. Oman Air will take delivery of its first B787 Dreamliner in 2014 (the airline will be acquiring them from ALAFCO). The first of 6 737s on order are expected to arrive in 2014 as well.
The fortunes of Oman Air will be tied to the successful joint promotion of Oman as a must-visit luxury destination by both Oman Air and Oman’s Ministry of Tourism (a point Mr. Hill emphasizes often to fill the birds), development of ancillary services related to hospitality, tourism, ground services etc., and a continual improvement of travel services in a region that offers unparalleled choice to the flying public and intense competition between regional legacy carriers such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways who are truly global in their reach and cut-throat Low Cost Carriers such as Flydubai and Air Arabia.
Mabrook, Oman Air. More power to your wings. Fly higher for Oman!
Great value Eid holiday airfares from Muscat to 15 cities around the world August 26, 2010
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Airlines, Aviation, Marketing, Oman, Travel.Tags: Airfares, Eid, Holidays, Muscat, Travel Deals
add a comment
The Eid holidays are upon us and there is very much a chance that those in Oman will get a week off from Thursday, 9th of September 2010 to Wednesday, 15th of September 2010(?).
If that happens, happy long week holidays to all you.
And just in case, if you are planning to fly out of town, here’s a quick look at airfares in Muscat.
Understandably, most of you must have already booked your tickets, especially to India. If not, you can use this guide to snap up the last remaining deals.
From my research, Bangkok looks like the cheapest value long-haul destination to fly to. And towards India, Air India Express continues its reign as the best great value airline to fly to that part of the world. Flying out on Thursday, Wednesday, 15th of September 2010 will prove to be more expensive that any other day, as most people would want to start their holiday at the break of the weekend. If you can fly out on Friday, 10th of September or Saturday, 11th of September, you can save a couple of Rials. Lastly, flying on a low-cost airline such as Flydubai, Air India Express or Air Arabia can get you a better value than a full-service airline. And it goes without saying that the fares will rise as we get closer to Eid.
These airfares apply on a single adult, return journey from Muscat and are inclusive of all taxes and surcharges. They are valid as of 26 August 2010, 1pm – Oman time.
Journey dates: outbound – Thursday, 9th of September 2010 and inbound – Wednesday, 15th of September 2010, unless mentioned next to the itinerary. All journeys are non-stop, unless indicated.
Let’s roll with the fares.
1. Cochin: MCT-COK-MCT: 194 Rials on Jet Airways.
2. Mumbai: MCT-MUM-MCT: 131 Rials on Air India.
3. Trivandrum: MCT-TRV-MCT: 196 Rials on Jet Airways. 176 Rials on Air India Express if outbound: Friday, 10th of September 2010 and inbound: Thursday, 16th of September 2010.
4. Calicut/Kozhikode: MCT-CCJ-MCT: 142 Rials on Air India Express.
5. Delhi: MCT-DEL-MCT: 140 Rials on Air India Express. 134 Rials on Gulf Air with layover and change of aircraft at Bahrain.
6. Mangalore: MCY-IXE-MCT: 184.5 Rials on Air India Express, if outbound: Friday, 10th of September 2010 and inbound: Thursday, 16th of September 2010.
7. Dubai: MCT-DXB-MCT: 38 Rials on Flydubai.
8. Bangkok: MCT-BKK-MCT: 153 Rials on Qatar Airways with a layover in Doha & change of aircraft in Doha.
9. Kuala Lumpur: MCT-KUL-MCT: 241 Rials on Qatar Airways with a layover & change of aircraft in Doha.
10. London Heathrow: MCT-LHR-MCT: 259 Rials on British Airways with stopover at Abu Dhabi, no aircraft change.
11. Amman: MCT-AMM-MCT: 209.860 Rials on Flydubai with layover and change of aircraft at Dubai.
12. Cairo: MCT-CAI-MCT: 232 Rials on Emirates with layover and change of aircraft at Dubai.
13. Frankfurt: MCT-FRA-MCT: 225 Rials on Gulf Air with layover and change of aircraft at Bahrain.
14. Colombo: MCT-CMB-MCT: 192 Rials on Emirates with layover and change of aircraft at Dubai.
15. Kathmandu: MCT-KTM-MCT: 123.700 Rials on Oman Air, if outbound: Thursday, 9th of September 2010 and inbound: Thursday, 16th of September 2010.
To get these offers, visit the respective airline website, check with your travel agent or head to Expedia. Please note that air fares of Oman Air, Air India Express & Flydubai are not listed on Expedia.
The best cabin crew uniform in Indian skies August 17, 2010
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Advertising, Aviation, Branding, India, Marketing, Travel.Tags: Air India, Air India Express, Cabin Crew, GoAir, Indian, IndiGo, Jet Airways, JetLite, Kingfisher Airlines, Kingfisher Red, Livery, Paramount Airways, SpiceJet, Uniform
20 comments
Close on the heels of JetLite unveiling their new cabin crew uniforms, IndiGo has decided to go for the PanAm designer look and shake up the skies.
Let’s have a fun contest today to find out the best cabin crew uniform in the Indian skies.
Who looks the sizzling best? Feel free to vote for your favorite airline uniform in the poll that follows the pictures. I pick Jet Airways.
* (Apologies for the ‘poor’ GoAir pic! Do share if you find a better one!)
Air India / Air India Express / Indian
Jet Airways
Jet Airways
Kingfisher / Kingfisher Red
JetLite
IndiGo
SpiceJet
GoAir
Paramount Airways
Why customer feedback matters for an airport. The case study of Cochin International Airport. August 16, 2010
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Aviation, India, Marketing, Travel.Tags: Airport, CIAL, Cochin International Aiport, customer feedback, Customer Service, Kerala, Kochi
2 comments
One of the reasons I like Cochin International Airport (COK) is because of its large spaces. A lot of airports I have been to in India or in the Arabian Gulf region are bursting at the seams or are under a constant state of development.
Opened in 1999, Cochin International Airport has all the whistles and bells of a modern airport. Larger spaces. Faster check-in. A great view of the tarmac from the gates. A reasonable duty-free selection. And the airbridges, which means no bumpy rides in the bus to the plane or no getting wet in the rains. And yes, a bookshop will be open soon. I’m told that the newly opened international terminal at Trivandrum (TRV) is catching up with Cochin and I can’t wait to check it out soon.
I was recently traveling through Cochin and with a couple of hours to kill for my flight to Muscat, I chanced upon a register placed in a corner of the Departure Terminal under a board that said ‘Feedback on Airport Security’. I couldn’t help but glance through the feedback book and what I read is going to be the crux of this post.
1. Airport security needs be more friendly.
Majority of the people complained about the cold, indifferent attitude of the airport security staff. Someone wrote: “The airport security should learn to speak proper English; English being the ‘national language’ of India.” I don’t know if the airport authorities can influence behavioral changes among the security staff. I think airport security is managed and run by CRPF, a central government agency whose functioning is outside the purview of the airport management’s control. But yes, there was almost universal criticism of their ‘customer service’ skills and their general approach to dealing with travellers. Now some of you may ask, shouldn’t their focus be on airport security than being nice to people in an age of heightened terror and security risks, but isn’t it better to have pleasant people skills no matter what your job.
2. Please smile, Mr. Immigration Officer.
The immigration officials at the airport came under fire too. Someone had written – Can someone teach these people to smile? Or getting them to smile is like asking for the moon… something in that lines. Frequently traveling through airports in India, I know this is true. It doesn’t matter that the immigration official is probably one of the first people you come across in a new country, especially if you are a tourist. I have given up on all etiquette and polite manners when I submit my passport at Indian immigration. I give a cold stare and get a colder one back along with the stamped passport. On good days, I get the passport and boarding card flung at me. Oh why not, I’m being done a huge favor after all by this official who had to forgo his siesta at 6 in the morning to see the back of planeloads of travelers bound to the Arabian sands. This is where I admire the immigration officers at Muscat International Airport. They never forget to wish you, enquire your well-being and heartily welcome you to their country before stamping your passport.
3. “Can Cochin Airport have a dedicated smoker’s lounge?” What really impressed me about this request was not the request itself, but the sincerity and manner in which it was expressed.
“More than 60% of travellers and tourists around the world are smokers and hence this airport should make convenient arrangements for smokers to light up in peace without going out of their minds and troubling fellow passengers.” A feedback suggestion that is always substantiated with a fact has a better chance of going through. (In this case, the ‘60%’ fact).
4. A gentleman requested for a separate prayer room for gents as well as ladies… fair enough.
5. A traveler to Houston made the brilliant observation regarding the absence of a single clock in the entire boarding gate area. True, there are giant screens showing flight schedules, but it would be wise to have the local time on them as well.
6. A tech-savvy traveler requested the airport authorities to provide passengers with Worldspace Radio… a couple of them demanded a better selection of TV channels on the airport TV. I guess Asianet or Surya is not everyone’s cup of tea.
7. One of the ultimate requests was by a couple of travellers who requested a bar in the terminal; nothing like a neat Scotch on the rocks before departure. Full marks to that. And no points for guessing that they were Malayalees.
8. Almost everyone complained about the lack of decent dining facilities in the departure terminal and the exorbitant price of tea & coffee. A cup of coffee costs 50 rupees. (A passenger wrote that the price of coffee was more scalding than the coffee itself). And COK Airport Coffee takes the crown as one of the ultimate listless coffees I have ever had the pleasure of drinking.
9. A passenger wrote about the how the drive-in entrance at the departures & arrival terminal wasn’t covered leading to travelers and their luggage getting drenched in the rains as they entered the terminal building. A very valid point; I came under the showers too as I was leaving COK that morning. Not a good experience to take off wet.
10. Hidesign has a swanky outlet at the airport. I hope they are making money.
11. Thought to end the post: I find liquor at Cochin Duty Free cheaper than Muscat Duty Free. And the last time I checked, they were giving a bottle free with every 2 bottles of Jack Daniel’s.
A couple of thoughts on Feedback:
1. Feedback is vital.
For individuals, brands and organizations, feedback tells you what’s working right and what isn’t. Feedback is critical to customer service, product improvement, cost savings, productivity and work efficiency.
2. Feedback matters only when it is from the right person.
So I worked on this snazzy looking marketing campaign. Getting suggestions on its look and feel from my peers isn’t as good a feedback from the customers of that product or service.
3. Use the right tools to collect Feedback.
A complaint book at Cochin International Airport seems to a simple and old-fashioned method to collect feedback. But it is any day, a more effective and practical tool than a website form. The customer should find it convenient to share feedback and feedback collection should ideally happen at touch points where customers interact most with you.
4. Feedback should lead to action.
Feedback is of no good if you don’t act upon it. Also, it helps to acknowledge that have you received feedback.
To conclude, do enjoy this video of an Emirates B777 landing at Cochin.
