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After more than a quarter of operations, are you more confident?
We believe our first four months have been a fulfilling and rewarding experience. Service excellence, operational excellence and cost leadership are the key pillars of our strategy. Our customer centric approach helps us in putting the customer first in all we do and we leverage the finest attributes of our parent brands – the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines in doing so. We now offer 239 weekly frequencies and connect to 10 destinations. We have already flown over 200,000 happy customers. We have a fleet of six aircraft which will increase to nine by the end of this year which will see an additional 50 per cent growth in our footprint. By the fourth year, we will have 20 aircraft.
How do you plan to navigate through high taxes, stiff regulations and rock bottom prices?
We are fully aware of the challenges and complexities involved in the Indian airline business. Since we can’t control the fuel price and taxes, we strive to keep our operational costs low through disciplined control of non-customer facing expenses and innovative use of technology. Additionally, we leverage the expertise and resources of our parent brands to reduce costs. We have a healthy mix of ‘insourcing’ and ‘outsourcing’ models to keep our operations lean and effective.
What potential do you see for full-service carriers in India?
Indian travellers were missing the real full-service airline experience till Vistara came into being. The definition of a full service carrier was muddled with the concept of a mere free meal on board. Vistara entered the market with the right understanding of the pulse of the discerning traveller and we introduced higher levels of customer centricity, service quality, global best practices, innovative technologies and integrated processes that we believed were amiss.
How is your interline agreement with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir working out?
As part of the inter-line agreement with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir, we are able to feed traffic onto the Vistara network and benefit these airlines with domestic feed. Our strategic partnership with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir, has also been extended to Club Vistara members, enabling them to enjoy exclusive benefits and enhanced travel experience.
It is said that the economy class is being overbooked, and passengers are then spilt into the premium economy section. Is this true?
We have seen a remarkable improvement, especially in economy class, with many of our flights being overbooked. The feedback we receive reaffirms our belief that customers appreciate our product and service. We do offer free upgrades to our customers during special promotions.
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