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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]
Tags: Kingfisher Airlines / New Routes / Vijay Mallya / → All Tags
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]
Tags: Kingfisher Airlines / Flight Attendants / Vijay Mallya / → All Tags
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]
Tags: Kingfisher Airlines / New Routes / Vijay Mallya / In-Flight Bars / → All Tags
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]
Tags: Kingfisher Airlines / New Routes / Vijay Mallya / SkyTeam / → All Tags
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]
