Tag Archives: Vistara

Vistara has entered into an interline partnership with Qatar’s flag-carrier, Qatar Airways. The partnership enables Qatar Airways’ customers to travel seamlessly on Vistara’s domestic flights, to and from Qatar Airway’s global network. Together, the two airlines will provide the ‘through check-in’ facility, enabling customers to get their boarding passes at the first point of departure for all the travel sectors, both domestic and international, and have their baggage checked-in through to their final destination. Vistara’s Chief Executive Officer, Phee Teik Yeoh, said, “We are delighted to launch our interline partnership with Qatar Airways, through which we will offer a seamless flying experience and international luggage allowance to our joint customers from various cities in India to and from over 150 destinations across the world on a single ticket. Qatar Airways’ customers will also now be able to experience ‘the new feeling’ with Vistara and enjoy the finest hospitality in Indian skies on their domestic connecting flights.” Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, said, “This exciting new partnership with Vistara will bring enhanced connectivity and increased convenience to our customers travelling within India. “The Indian market is very important to us and we operate over a hundred flights a week between Doha and 13 Indian cities. This new partnership expands Qatar Airways’ presence in India and reinforces our commitment to this market.” Vistara’s new partnership with Qatar Airways comes in addition to several other existing interline/through check-in agreements it has with carriers such as Air France, KLM, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA), British Airways, Finnair, Aeroflot, Ethiopian Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, and codeshare partnerships with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir.

Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-June 2017 were 561.55 lakhs as against 475.79 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year, registering a growth of 18.03 per cent. This was revealed in data released by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). SpiceJet recorded the maximum Passenger Load Factor (PLF) of 94.5 per cent while Vistara ruled in terms of O Time Performance at 86.1 per cent.

Vistara has joined hands with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Delhi International Airport (DIAL) to introduce check-in and baggage drop facilities at the New Delhi station of the Delhi Metro Airport Express Line. Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara, said, “This partnership with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Delhi International Airport (DIAL) adds to the multiple check-in options we offer to our customers. This will allow our customers to breeze through the check-in process at any of the Airport Express Line metro stations in Delhi with the same efficiency as they experience at the airport.” Vistara customers can check-in from two to 12 hours prior to their flight’s schedule departure at the New Delhi station of the Airport Express Line Metro, which is also connected to the New Delhi Railway Station of the Railways network. Those already checked-in using the web or Vistara’s mobile app can simply drop their baggage at the counter and head to the airport directly. Vistara uses secured Baggage Handling System (BHS) to transfer the baggage to the airport terminal efficiently. The Airport Express Line of the Delhi Metro runs every 10-15 minutes and takes passengers to Terminal 3 of Delhi’s IGI Airport within 18-20 minutes.

Singapore Airlines has announced a special offer exclusively for its new and existing KrisFlyer loyalty card members. Customers booking a Singapore Airlines or SilkAir (regional wing of Singapore Airlines) return ticket from June 16-30, 2017, on www.singaporeair.com or SingaporeAir mobile app will receive two complimentary flights on Vistara. This offer is valid for travel between July 01 and August 31, 2017, on Suites, First, Business and Economy (Flexi and Flexi Saver) fares. Travel on Singapore Airlines or SilkAir flights must originate from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. Except for Singapore Airlines Suites or First Class passengers who will be entitled to Vistara’s Business Class, customers will be allotted the same cabin class on their complimentary Vistara tickets with a travel validity from July 21, 2017 – August 31, 2018. Furthermore, travellers from India can redeem a complimentary S$20 Changi Dollar Voucher for use at all participating shops, restaurants and lounges when they transit at Singapore Changi Airport. Indian nationals can also avail of one-way, Visa Free Transit Facility for up to 96 hours in Singapore with a valid onward ticket and a valid visa from selected countries. The transit facility will be provided at the discretion of the immigration authorities.

Vistara has introduced two additional daily return flights between Delhi and Bengaluru to celebrate the second anniversary of its service on the route. With this addition, Vistara now flies five times return daily (four times on Sundays) between the two cities, taking the count of weekly flights on the route (both ways) to 68. Elaborating on this, Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer, Vistara, said, “In a short time Vistara has emerged as the airline of choice for corporate customers, and the increase in frequency from 3 to 5 flights daily each way between Delhi and Bengaluru is in response to their request for more Vistara flights between these cities. Not only will these flights help us meet the needs of our frequent flyers, it will also attract those wanting to fly us more often.  Bengaluru is a key market for Vistara, and we intend to add more flights there over time, slots permitting.”

Vistara has taken delivery of its first Airbus A320neo (new engine option) at Airbus Headquarters in Toulouse, making it the 14th aircraft in the airline’s fleet. Apart from the technical advancements that come with the A320neo, Vistara has unveiled several enhancements to the product on the aircraft, including mood lighting (first time in India for an Airbus A320 operator), more comfortable seating with a new seat bottom and seat-back design, softer cushions, and a refreshing new look across all three cabin classes. The aircraft also carriers the Vistara and Airbus A320neo logos on the underbelly of the aircraft, a first for Vistara. The Business Class cabin exudes a luxurious ambience with a fine blend of airline’s brand colors, Aubergine and gold. Features such as wider seat backs, softer cushions, enhanced literature pockets and softer leather upholstery promise a premium experience onboard. The rich color scheme of Aubergine and Gold continues into the exclusive Premium Economy cabin, with improved seat cushions, softer seat leather, re-designed height four-way adjustable headrest. Economy Class in the new aircraft has a calm Grey and rich Aubergine color scheme with enhanced cushioning for seats crafted in soft leather and with padded head support.

According to the data released by DGCA, passengers carried by domestic airlines during Jan-April 2017 were 364.13 lakhs as against 309.35 lakhs during the corresponding period of the previous year, thereby registering a growth of 17.71. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) for the month saw a considerable increase because of the beginning of the holiday season, with SpiceJet recording the highest PLF of 93.4 per cent as against 91.4 per cent in March. The On-Time Performance (OTP) for Vistara was the highest (87.4 per cent).

Vistara has launched self-service kiosk check-in at Delhi’s Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Mumbai’s Terminal 2, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Vistara is set to launch the same service across 17 other airports that it operates from by the end of June 2017. Customers will now be able to check-in, select preferred seats and print their boarding passes for their flights at the self-service kiosks without having to queue up at check-in desks. Customers with check-in baggage can simply print their boarding passes using the kiosks and drop off their baggage at the check-in desks before proceeding to security check. The self-service kiosk check-in is also available for Singapore Airlines and SilkAir customers who are flying on Vistara-operated aircraft under code-share tickets. Vistara will soon also extend the functionality of the service to offer greater convenience of opting for ancillary products/services on the self-service check-in kiosks to its customers. Vistara continues to grow and gain accolades as it redefines air travel in India by challenging the status-quo in the Indian aviation sector by offering seamless and personalized services to its customers. In a short span of a little over two years, Vistara has grown to expand its network to 19 destinations with over 530 weekly flights and a fleet of 13 aircraft, having flown close more than 4 million happy customers already.

Vistara has inaugurated service from Delhi to Leh and will operate direct flights between the two destinations on Saturdays and Sundays from March 25, 2017. The airline will increase the frequency to daily flights during the summer peak season, starting from May 10, 2017. Vistara celebrated the launch of this service with a traditional Ladakhi folk performance by a Ladakhi troupe in the departures area of Delhi T3, as well as with a similar performance in the arrivals area of Leh airport. Vistara also presented gifts to all passengers on the inaugural flights. Elaborating on the launch of the new destination, Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara said, “Leh is on the bucket lists of millions of travellers from all over the world, who want to experience the unique culture of this region and its incredibly beautiful landscapes. We’re very excited to add this beautiful destination to our network, and provide connectivity to its residents. We are confident that this new route will further delight our customers, who will now be able to explore the breathtaking beauty of Ladakh while ‘flying the new feeling’ with Vistara. Furthermore, with convenient same-terminal connections between domestic and international flights at Delhi Airport’s T3, our new flights will open up Leh to more foreign visitors as well.”

Vistara signed a five-year agreement with Airbus Group India Private Limited to provide training services to Vistara pilots for the A320 type aircraft. The two companies inked the agreement at the launch of Airbus India Training Centre (AITC) in New Delhi, which brings state-of-the-art technology to India for the training of flight crew. Commenting on the partnership, Phee Teik Yeoh, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “This partnership underlines our uncompromising commitment to uphold the highest of safety standards and operational excellence. I am confident that our pilots will immensely benefit from Airbus’ in-depth and specialized training solutions. It will help us tread a path towards industry leadership.” Adding on, Dr. Srinivasan Dwarakanath, President, Commercial Aircraft, Airbus in India said, “We are honoured to have Vistara as the first customer for the Airbus India Training Centre. We will start training their pilots when the centre becomes operational end-2018. Our success is tied to the success of our customers and one way we contribute to that is by offering them our services like flight training.” The AITC is equipped with the latest software that accurately simulates the aircraft handling characteristics and system responses, ensuring Vistara pilots are well trained and become more proficient with global standards.