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Kingfisher Goes International, And Not Just Around Asia

Last year Kingfisher Airlines out of Bangalore, India wasn’t doing too swell with their international routes, so they scaled things back and focused again on service in India. Well things must be on the up and up, because they are back to work announcing new routes:

There are eight new international routes planned for later this year, and Mumbai to Singapore and Mumbai to Hong Kong are scheduled to start up in September. Most of their other new plans include flights from New Delhi, which will be the first international routes out of that city. London, Bangkok, and Dubai are now all options for those looking to get out of India for a bit.

Despite all the good news, the airline did axe two routes. Bangalore lost its flights to London and Colombo, Sri Lanka. For now, their ambitious plans to expand to the US market are still on hold. If Vijay Mallya starts mouthing off about any plans to serve our west coast, we’ll let you know.

Related Stories:
· Kingfisher Launches Flights on 8 International Routes [Times of India]
· Flying Getting Way Cheaper. In India. [Jaunted]
· Low Cost Carriers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: BangaloreAviation]

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Tags: Airfare Deals / Travel Deals / Air India / Kingfisher Airlines / Jet Airways / → All Tags

Flying Getting Way Cheaper. In India.

It may not help you get to Vegas to take advantage of awesome hotel deals, but the across-the-board fare cuts in India will make your trip there quite a bit cheaper if you plan of flying from city to city to see all the giant country has to offer.

Air India is slashing domestic fares by as much as 82 percent while competitor Jet Airways announced Monday it would cut ticket prices by 40 percent. Kingfisher Airlines says it too is planning to lower fares in 2009--two days from now--but hasn't yet released specifics.

Indian carriers are facing the same softening demand as airlines in the US, but since fuel bills are also dropping, they can afford the fare cuts--at least for now. Not long ago, we were hearing that the airline meltdown is hitting Asia hardest, so we're waiting to see just how sticky these deals will be.

Related Stories:
· Air India Announces Fare Cut [Economic Times]
· Go To Goa, But Don't Party On The Beach This Xmas [Jaunted]
· Air India Bans Fat Stewardesses [Jaunted]

[Photo: Cubbie_n_Vegas]

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Asian LCCs: Kingfisher Will Actually Feed Passengers

It may be in financial trouble, but Kingfisher Airlines is planning to offer an unprecedented LCC service: A hot meal. Finally, an airline providing the same level of service to passengers as prisons give inmates.

A general manager told The Times of India that the meals, to be served on spin-off Kingfisher Red, will be tasty, too:

We are Indians, we don't survive on cold sandwiches and biscuits for lunch.

Seeing that most low cost carriers ask us to subsist on nothing, it sounds like a fairly generous offer. They must be using the money from all their layoffs to pay for it.

Related Stories:
· Kingfisher Offering Hot Meals [Business Spectator]
· Kingfisher Air Promises Hottest Flight Attendants in the Sky [Jaunted]

[Photo: Tony Leah]

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Kingfisher Killing International Service

India's Kingfisher Airlines had big plans for this winter, including a new route between Bangalore and San Francisco. But the carrier's new flights between India and London are netting an average of 35 passengers--on an A330 with 217 seats. Guess that bar isn't that great?

In light of the troubles, Kingfisher has suspended plans for flights to the US and new service between Mumbai and London--scheduled to start later this month--probably won't happen either.

Kingfisher has also recently partnered with Jet Airways to help reduce costs for both carriers. Though it's not quite a merger, the pair plan to combine forces on fuel purchasing, ground operations and even crew sharing. Every bit of savings will help: Experts say the Indian aviation industry could lose up to $2 billion by the end of the fiscal year in March 2009.

Related Stories:
· Kingfisher, Jet Airways Drop International Routes [AW]
· India's Jet, Kingfisher Strike Alliance [AFP, via Google]
· Kingfisher Airlines: International Service Yes, Extra Employees No [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikimedia]

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Rampant Speculation: Another Step toward Virgin India?

Flight attendant recruiter and Kingfisher Airlines boss Vijay Mallya wants India to change its restrictive rules on foreign investment in the domestic aviation market. Which is probably a smart idea, given that his carrier lost roughly $200 million in its last fiscal year!

Says Mallya:

I have requested the government to consider this policy change and allow foreign carriers to have a strategic investment in airlines here....All airlines, whether it is Jet Airways, Air India or Kingfisher Airlines, will benefit from such a move.

What I am saying is that the government should allow at least 25 per cent direct investment by a foreign carrier here.

Could this be the first step toward a Branson-affiliated carrier in India?

Related Stories:
· Allow Foreign Airlines to Invest Says Mallya [Business Standard]
· Kingfisher Airlines: International Service Yes, Extra Employees No [Jaunted]
· Richard Branson's Indian Dream [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikimedia]

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Kingfisher Airlines: International Service Yes, Extra Employees No

It was just a couple weeks ago that Kingfisher Airlines was celebrating its first flight to London. But now, the carrier is cutting back on staff, getting rid of 300 employees as it also trims domestic flights in the face of high fuel costs.

The airline told an Indian newspaper:

We examined the complete organization structure of the airline and mapped the skill sets of the existing talent pool with the projected talent requirements of the company.

In other words, we may have bought up Air Deccan, but we don't need to be paying all these extra people to help run it!

Related Stories:
· Kingfisher to Cut 300 Jobs [Business Standard]
· Kingfisher Air Promises Hottest Flight Attendants in the Sky [Jaunted]
· Kingfisher Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ÇP]

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Kingfisher Air Promises Hottest Flight Attendants in the Sky

Newly international Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines gets about as much press for its service as it does for its outlandish CEO Vijay Mallya. Why? Because he says stuff like this about his flight attendants:

I pick them all myself. [I look for] height, figure, command of English, manner and style of speaking. They then have a psychometric test. We delve a bit deeper into their inner psyche to see if they are service-oriented, if service comes naturally to them.

Riiiiight. If you're interested in meeting any of Mallya's recruits, you're better off booking a flight from London: Flights to the US, only recently announced, are already being pared back.

Related Stories:
· Vijay Mallya Aims to Leave Rivals in His Vapor Trail [Telegraph]
· Toasting to Kingfisher's First London Flight [Jaunted]
· More Details Emerging on Kingfisher Airlines Expansion [Jaunted]

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Toasting to Kingfisher's First London Flight

This is a photo of the bar in the first class cabin of Kingfisher Airlines' new A330-200, which made its first flight between Bangalore and London today. It's not quite a shower, but it's still pretty outlandish.

But the bar isn't the only swanky amenity on the new international flights. Economy passengers also get plenty of booze--if not from a wetbar--in addition to USB power outlets, full sized pillows and blankets, a 10-inch IFE screen with live TV and access to email. Seat pitch in the back of the plane is a relatively generous 34 inches.

And while all this good stuff is flying to and from London, Kingfisher is also sprucing up some newly acquired planes in India. With its takeover of Air Deccan complete, the five-year-old low cost carrier is being rebranded as Kingfisher Red.

Related Stories:
· Kingfisher Airlines [Official Site]
· Air Deccan Is Now Kingfisher Red [Times of India]
· More Details Emerging on Kingfisher Airlines Expansion [Jaunted]

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More Details Emerging on Kingfisher Airlines Expansion

More details are emerging about Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines, which plans to start flights between Heathrow and India next month. If all goes smoothly, the three-year-old upstart could be landing in San Francisco before the end of 2008.

Billionaire Vijay Mallya runs the show, and he tells the Financial Times:

That Kingfisher is establishing the base for its widebody long-haul operations at the recently opened Bangalore International airport, which with Hyderabad is leading the drive to modernise Indian airport infrastructure in an effort to catch up with the very fast growth of the Indian aviation market.

And though it's slowing growth on the domestic front, Kingfisher is already exploring a code sharing partnership with the SkyTeam, which counts Air France and Delta among its members.

Related Stories:
· Kingfisher Stretches Its Wings [FT]
· New Routes: Kingfisher Airlines Expanding to UK, US [Jaunted]
· New Routes coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikimedia]

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New Routes: Kingfisher Airlines Expanding to UK, US

We kid you not. Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines plans to start flights into London Heathrow next month, and flights between Bengaluru (Bangalore) and San Francisco and New York could soon follow.

Kingfisher plans to use brand-new Airbus jets on the routes, which will help with fuel economy. The carrier is also known for its in-flight service, which Skytrax says is on-par with what you'd experience on Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways or Singapore Airlines. (Having foxy flight attendants probably won't hurt either.)

Still, will the expanded business model be a success? One industry insider says it all depends:

Kingfisher is banking on its product--selling of business class--or front end is very important in international flights and if they manage 80 percent occupancy then they will do fine--otherwise it could be disastrous on their balance sheet.

Related Stories:
· Kingfisher Airlines Set to Launch International Ops [MoneyControl]
· New Routes coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikimedia]