Leading the pack in terms of market abundance is the formidable IndiGo, expanding rapidly with military consistency. Air India, now back with the Tatas, will surely do its best while Vistara will focus on restoring its admirable luxury.
SpiceJet, despite repeated setbacks, will be determined to persevere, while Go First is definitely not in the business to finish last.
Most fascinating will be the revival of Jet Airways as its experienced management tries to gift its glorious past with an equally impressive presentation. Akasha Air has also clarified its intentions, seemingly focusing on a tier two strategy to bypass congested metros.
So what does this news bring to the domestic Indian customer who is spoiled for some serious choice, and I haven’t even talked about the regional aspirants? Most importantly, the definition of brand loyalty will quickly change from a singular choice to a set of considerations as flyers discover their primary factors.
This, as already shown, is a thoughtful combination of choice, cost, and convenience, and this applies equally to the dominant business and emerging leisure segments. Due to the lack of scalability, I exclude the chronic business class cohort, which is certainly insignificant domestically.
As a recent study confirms, price and comfort are the most important elements associated with choosing an airline. Convenience in terms of timing connections and more importantly, direct (and not hop) access to the destination – whether for business meetings or checking in on vacation.
Costs are intractable as not only individuals but even corporates (including PSUs) tighten the screws on excesses, L1s are the blue-eyed boys. Choice, the third element, is the only element of benevolence, because when the stakes are equal, certain loyalties or experimental parameters may influence the final choice. But one thing is certain, flyers will no longer be chased by airline brands. Instead, they will decide on merit based on the above-mentioned parameters.
In fact, airlines are already adapting their product strategies to the emerging reality, amply illustrated by Jet Airways’ announced decision to invest in the Airbus A220 series, a spin-off of the Bombardier C series.
These are usually five (rather than six) narrow side-by-side jets capable of hosting about 150 souls, and therefore more efficient in operating sharper point-to-point routes to lower urban levels. Akasa Air has already declared its ambitions to play in this environment, albeit with a larger Boeing 737 MAX aircraft catering to a mass audience. India may soon emulate global hubs in activating second airport opportunities in metros (like Kolkata and Andal) to further enhance customer access.
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