IA to upgrade services

MUMBAI, MAY 13: Faced with sluggish market conditions, Indian Airlines (IA) has launched a massive product upgradation exercise with a vi...

MUMBAI, MAY 13: Faced with sluggish market conditions, Indian Airlines (IA) has launched a massive product upgradation exercise with a view to ensuring that the passenger gets value for money. The airline has also floated a global tender to take four more Airbus A-320s aircraft on lease to increase its seating capacity.

IA Commercial Director M Paes told newspersons here today that the airline, which has gained nine per cent market share following the introduction of the popular metro shuttle flights between Mumbai and Delhi, was planning to attract more business travellers and also venture into tourism promotion in tandem with hoteliers, surface transporters and even foreign airlines by way of interline partnerships.

Among the facilities to be made available at Mumbai is a check-in counter at IA’s booking office (for those travelling without baggage) at Nariman Point in south Mumbai, a facility which has been successfully implemented in Chennai, and upgrading the website for online reservations.

Based on the lines of the metro shuttles operated on the Mumbai-Delhi sector, “Walk-in Bonanzas” will be introduced in the next fortnight for flights on the Delhi-Guwahati, Mumbai-Calcutta, Calcutta-Chennai and Chennai-Bangalore sectors.

Paes said IA was also working out package holiday tours both in the domestic and international sectors. Interline check-in facility is also under consideration with some leading international airlines to enable a passenger to check-in right through a destination in India to or from his place of commencement of journey, he added.

As part of the corporate package which will be implemented in a week’s time, the IA will “reward” top 200 corporates and also seek a share in their travel budget, Paes said. The product upgradation also incorporates various schemes to enhance ticket sales by way of agency packages, wherein travel agents registering high performance will be given special sops.

The corporate package, will also include provision of lounge facilities for executive class passengers at Mumbai. This lounge is expected to be operational by July 1999 with the facilities for a shower and a counter for refreshments. At Delhi airport, a new lounge will be commissioned on the first floor of the departure terminal by August 1999.

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The facilities for executive passengers also include reduced check-in time to just 20 minutes before take off, dedicated AC coaches, separate boarding etc, while members of the Frequent Flyer Programme (FFP) will be offered facilities like tele check-in, 10 kgs extra baggage allowance and priority in wait-list confirmation.

The airline has also commenced trial runs of a new departure control systems at Delhi and Mumbai airports under which passengers would be offered the facilities of through check-in, return sector check-in as well as seat assignment at the time of booking the ticket itself. The new departure control systems will be gradually introduced at eight other major cities by the end of 1999.

Seat selection for executive class passengers as well as FFP members will be provided at the time of booking along with the commissioning of the new departure control system.

While fleet renewal programme is being pursued vigorously, as an interim measure, refurbishment of cabin of Airbus A300 and Boeing 737 fleet has been undertaken at a cost of Rs 3 crore, Paes said. The refurbishment exercise will be completed on all A300 aircraft by June 1999, while the Boeing 737 fleet will be refurbished by September 1999.

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As per the feedback received from various onboard passenger surveys conducted, IA has also planned to introduce new menus by July 1999. The new menus will include regional delicacies based on the local taste of the sector being serviced.