Airliners-India.com

malQ · Last edited by malQ on Sat May 19, 2007 2:51 pm; edited 1 time in total

This is one airline where the unpredictable seldom happens. All their aircraft are exactly the same, brand new Airbus-320s, with exactly the same single class configuration inside as 180 seaters. They are always clean and tidy. I am told they replace their carpets after 2000 cycles, regardless. Brilliant. The air-quality on board is perceptibly the best, if there was a way to measure it, and invariably you disembark as fresh and unstinky as when you boarded. Most of all, the staff is trained in a systematic approach, to a point where you can predict exactly when what will happen, sometimes too cold and precise.

Indigo also has the crispest website for direct bookings on the Internet (I like blue more than red . . . ), and probably the second safest in terms of how they protect credit-card fraud, or maybe they are now the safest. Because certain triggers I used to apply to check website security don't seem to work anymore. That aside, booking is done in a very non-nonsense way, with immediate responses and updates on eMail as well as SMS. As a matter of fact, when I booked my seat on 6E-102 for Pune - Delhi flight dated Wednesday 16th of May'07, I got my SMS confirmation even before the computer screen downloaded with the printout page for the e-ticket. Even more interesting cross-checks take place when you use your credit card for a booking for somebody else, and as always, I would not like to reveal these here.

Positioned as a "no-frills" with the Low Cost Carrier tag added on, Indigo flies from and to Pune with a middle-of-the day service to and from Delhi, coming from and going on to Bangalore. Except on Saturdays when it is an early morning Delhi - Pune - Bangalore and a late evening Bangalore - Pune - Delhi service. Drinking water in 200ml bottles is provided free, and basic food as well as beverages are sold at reasonable prices, though two cookies for 20/- rupees is a bit too much for people from Pune who are used to rates benchmarked by Kayani and similar. Advance seat selection and reservation is allowed at time of booking on the Internet, and a welcome feature is that the Emergency row seats can be pre-blocked for a fee of 100/- rupees. That is much more legroom and often nobody else sitting next to you. (However, the airline needs to control the tendency of passengers from other seats moving into these seats in-flight.)

I managed a ticket to Delhi on a Wednesday afternoon flight for a total of 4124/- rupees. The base price was 2799/- rupees. That makes a total of 1325/- rupees on taxes, surcharges and fine print, including a 100/- rupees for the best seat on the plane, 13-A. As on date, Air Sahara operated cheaper, as did Air Deccan.

Check-in was smooth as always at Pune's Lohegaon Airport. The flight was operating on schedule, and we boarded VT-ING, photography not permitted on the tarmac or onboard at the Civil Enclave of the Defence Airport of Pune. There are very few through passengers on this double triangle sector, in the morning it is DEL-BLR-PNQ and by the time we reached Delh at about 1400hrs VT-INE was boarding for a DEL-PNQ-BLR-DEL flight when we reached Delhi. You can make out by the electronic indicators on the bus. The load was around 140 all told, not bad for middle of the week middle of the day.

Cabin crew observation - I am too old for this - but they all had different colour eyeshadows. The lady who briefed me was sporting a particularly bright shade of pink-purple, and it was very distracting, for some reason I kept wondering what my beard would look like in that shade. That aside, the snack and beverage service was brisk in a dual pass which started from the ends, met at the middle, and did a second run on the way back. Though there were more than a few people who brought their own food along, and then proceeded to eat it straight from the aircraft set-back tray, which left some stains here and there.

Their blue uniform is smart, but as a passenger I would be happier if cabin crew wore slightly more sensible shoes, though I do believe they are supposed to chuck them off in case of slide deployment. Emergency row briefing was done very correctly, no giggles and just the right amount of seriousness as well as steady delivery of the important message. Too often does one observe crew or passenger giggling through this.

Flight uneventful, except for pure blue skies at departure Pune, and grey muck in the sky on arrival Delhi. I slept and dozed through most of the flight. At DEL the bus service was again amongst the best, these are low-floor specials with the flip-type floor for wheelchair access. Also, gangway is designed to roll wheelchairs on board instead of the dehumanising carry on board.

One thing this airline needs is a remote flush button for passengers who forget to flush the toilet. And the fun part is, as always, with a lot of children on board having a great time on board.

Photos here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vm2827/500736441/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vm2827/500688656/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vm2827/500688656/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vm2827/500688656/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vm2827/500734596/

victor2alpha · Member Joined: 08 Apr 2007 Posts: 120

Except for the last line, it was a pleasure reading your TR. I guess I need to try these guys someday! Smile

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victor2alpha

HAWK21M · Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 8:08 pm Post subject:

Replacing carpet at 2000cycles is a good idea.
An average of 8-10 cycles per Aircraft per day,Would mean less than a year.
Normally Carpet replacement + Mylar layer sheet replacement is carried out during Check C.

regds
MEL
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Think of the Brighter side !!!

VABBy · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 823 Location: DEL

Veeresh indeed a nice trip. My family have also become kinda frequent fliers on Indigo . Recently my bro flew to CCU on the early morning departure and he commented that the chicken sandwiches being served by them was absolutely marvelous though priced for INR75/- which ws worth it...
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Expeditors- You'd be surprised how far we will go for you www.expeditors.com

Nimish · Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 2:16 pm Post subject:

This seems to be type of airline that we'd like to see survive (along with Spicejet) because of their high service standards.

However it still remains to be seen how they'll manage to find parking slots and routes for their 100 320s Confused

I understand they're coming in steadily until 2016, and a fleet size of only 40 by 2010, so that's a good thing. I hope they have enough parking bays locked up to last them until 2010. I also wonder why they don't operate the ATR type a/c for short haul feeder routes?

justbala · Member Joined: 11 Jan 2007 Posts: 1898 Location: Bangalore

Good TR. Have heard pretty good feedback on 6E. Must give them a try smtime.

Along with SG , 6E seems to be showing how low cost need not necessarily have to mean low class!! Hope DN take a leaf frm their book. Any idea how their margins are?!

HAWK21M · Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 12:31 am Post subject:

Nimish · Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 11:16 am Post subject:

haree · Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 1:49 pm Post subject:

8 months in to being and these people have 8 aircrafts already.. so 40 by 2010 seems possible ..

VABBy · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 823 Location: DEL

air fleets states that indigo has 9 aircraft
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Expeditors- You'd be surprised how far we will go for you www.expeditors.com

malQ · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 7:11 am Post subject:

Yes, there are nine A-320 aircraft so far, and here is a photograph of the 9th one, VT-INI, at DEL.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vm2827/500733429/

HAWK21M · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 2:52 pm Post subject:

http://dgca.nic.in/aircraft/reg-ind.htm
The best reference.
regds
MEL
_________________
Think of the Brighter side !!!

Indian · Member Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 101 Location: New Delhi

Indigo is getting its 10th A/c on 18th June in BLR and the same would be operational on 24th June on BLR DEL route. 5 more A/C would be coming this year. One each in July, Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec. The plan is to get 1 A/c about every 6-8 weeks. That would take it somewhere around 40 by 2010.

Nimish · Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:41 am Post subject:

Indian · Member Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 101 Location: New Delhi