IndiGo confusing passengers on 'Seat Plus Premium Seat'

by Devesh Agarwal

What are the best seats for tall or wide passengers on IndiGo flights? Read on to learn.

Two weeks ago, as I was making a booking on IndiGo for a flight to Delhi, I was offered a chance to buy 'Premium Seats' under the airline's Seat Plus value add-on plan for Rs. 500 per seat per flight. Premium seats include all seats in row 1 (which is against the bulkhead), and rows 12 and 13 (the emergency exit rows), and the windows and aisle seats in rows 2 and 3.

On its website IndiGo advertises these "premium seats" as offering "extra leg room", reinforced with a graphic. As a frequent traveller, I was fairly certain that this information was inaccurate.

IndiGo's description of Seat Plus Premium Seating on November 19, 2013.

To the best of my knowledge IndiGo does not offer any additional leg room on rows 2 and 3, since it keeps the same seat pitch of 30 inches for all its rows, with the exception of the two emergency exit rows 12 and 13. But, may be the airline had made some recent changes?

To dispel my doubts I contacted the call centre, and after many holds of "a few minutes" the agent was unable to say one way or the other. Even the airline's spokespersons were unable to clarify the doubts when I contacted them.

On November 22, when I flew the airline's newest A320 VT-IFV from Bangalore to Mumbai, I confirmed there is no additional or extra legroom in rows 2 and 3.

Seat plus description page on December 3, 2013

So one must ask why is IndiGo indulging in such practices? Someone at the airline over-zealous to get more value added revenue? One could take it as misleading advertising, and over-selling a feature that does not exist.

On December 3rd, As I web-checked-in for my flight, I decided to look-up the 'Seat Plus' information page, again.

Lo and behold, there is no change in the page even though I had pointed out to IndiGo the misleading information on their site two weeks ago.

So this clarification and warning to all the tall people looking for extra leg-room. Stick with rows 12 and 13. Even row 1 may not offer you the leg-room you desire. For the extra wide bodies (XWBs) like me, do not choose rows 12 and 13. IndiGo uses non-standard shorter seat-belts, and cabin crew are prohibited by regulations from giving you an extension seat-belt if you are seated in an emergency exit row.

I invited IndiGo to comment on this story, but there is no response from the airline till the publishing time. 

Do you think IndiGo is misleading its customers? Share your thoughts on this via a comment.

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DOT fines Brazil's GOL airline largest penalty for violating airline consumer rules

By BA Staff

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) fined the Brazilian airline GOL $250,000 for violating a number of DOT’s rules protecting the rights of air travellers. This is the largest penalty assessed for violations of the rules adopted in April 2011.

The airline was ordered to cease and desist from further violations of the Department’s airline consumer rules.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said:

“We adopted these rules to ensure that passengers are treated with respect when they buy a ticket or board a plane. We will not tolerate disregard of our rules and will take enforcement action when necessary to protect travelers.”

The Department’s Aviation Enforcement Office found that GOL’s U.S. website, for a period of time after it was launched in November 2012, failed to include a variety of information and features required by DOT air travel consumer protection rules. The website did not include a contingency plan for handling lengthy tarmac delays or a link from the homepage to a list of fees for baggage and other optional services.

GOL also violated DOT’s full-fare advertising requirement by failing to include taxes and fees in fares displayed on the website in response to consumer searches. The full fare, including taxes and fees, was available only after the consumer selected a specific itinerary.

The airline also failed to post its contract of carriage in an easily accessible form on its website. A consumer had to begin the process of searching for an itinerary before being able to gain access to the contract information. This made it hard to easily compare GOL’s contract with those of other airlines, and made obtaining the contract difficult for passengers who wanted to review the information online before booking a flight by telephone or with a ticket agent.

Can we look to something similar in India? Share your thoughts via a comment.

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Marginal decrease in August US passenger traffic from a year earlier

By BA Staff

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported that U.S. airlines carried 67.7 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in August 2013, 0.1 per cent fewer than in August 2012. Domestic passengers decreased 0.9 percent to 58.1 million, and international passengers increased 5.5 per cent to 9.6 million compared to August 2012.

Total U.S. airlines' passenger traffic for the first eight months of 2013 increased 0.4 per cent 502.7 million, compared to the same period last year. Domestic passengers remain virtually unchanged at 435.3 million, while international passenger traffic increased 3.1 per cent to 67.4 million.

System-wide and domestic load factors, the proportion of capacity measured Available Seat-Miles (ASMs) vs. utilisation measured in Revenue Passenger-Miles (RPMs), remained below the all-time August highs reached in 2011, while international load factors hit record highs of 87 per cent as RPM growth far exceeded ASM capacity expansion.

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Air Algérie orders three A330 passenger aircraft

By BA Staff


Air Algérie has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for three A330-200 passenger aircraft as part of the carrier’s continued growth plans. This order has been placed at Dubai Airshow 2013.

The new aircraft will be deployed on medium and long haul routes from the Air Algérie hub in Algeria. Air Algérie has already ordered a total of five Airbus A330, which have all been delivered to date.

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USDOT fines US Airways $1.2m for failure to provide wheelchair assistance

By BA Staff

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) fined US Airways $1.2 million for failing to provide adequate wheelchair assistance to passengers in Philadelphia and Charlotte, N.C. The fine is one of the largest ever assessed by DOT in a disability case.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said:

“All air travelers deserve to be treated equally and with respect, and this includes persons in wheelchairs and other passengers with disabilities. We will continue to make sure that airlines comply with our rules and treat their passengers fairly.”

Under DOT’s rules implementing the Air Carrier Access Act, airlines are required to provide free, prompt wheelchair assistance upon request to passengers with disabilities. This includes helping passengers to move between gates and make connections to other flights. 

In one of its periodic reviews of airline compliance with DOT rules, the Department’s Aviation Enforcement Office found that US Airways committed a significant number of violations of the requirements for wheelchair assistance during 2011 and 2012 at Philadelphia International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. 

As part of its review, the Enforcement Office examined approximately 300 complaints filed by passengers with the airline and DOT relating to incidents at Philadelphia and Charlotte, which covered only a sample of complaints filed over two years against US Airways for the two airports. The airline’s use of a combination of electric carts and wheelchairs to carry passengers between gates required frequent transfers and led to long delays. Some passengers missed connections because of the delays or were left unattended for long periods of time.

Of the $1.2 million fine, US Airways may use up to $500,000 for improvements in its service, to passengers with disabilities, that are beyond what DOT rules require. These include hiring managers to ensure the quality of the airline’s disability services in Philadelphia and Charlotte, creating a telephone line to assist these passengers, purchasing tablets and other equipment to monitor assistance requests, providing compensation to passengers with disability-related complaints, and programming the airline’s computers so that boarding passes identify passengers who request special services.

Now if only the DGCA comes up with similar fines for Indian carriers. Share your thoughts via a comment.
 

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Dubai International’s passenger traffic up 13.1 per cent in September

By BA Staff

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Passenger traffic at Dubai International, the world’s second busiest airport for international passengers, rose 13.1 per cent in September, according to the latest traffic statistics issued yesterday by operator Dubai Airports.

Passenger traffic in September totaled 5,407,326, an increase of 13.1 per cent compared to 4,780,394 during the corresponding month in 2012. Year to date traffic is up 16 per cent to 49,379,165 compared to 42,565,340 recorded during the first nine months of 2012. Aircraft movements totaled 30,746 during September, an increase of 10.2 per cent from the 27,909 recorded during the same period last year. Passengers per aircraft movement in September came in at 193.

All regions recorded positive growth in September with the exception of South America (-6.9 per cent).  Among the strongest markets in terms of percentage* passenger growth were Eastern Europe (+65.1 per cent), driven by flydubai expansion to multiple destinations in the region and Emirates’ new service to Warsaw. Passenger traffic to and from Australasia rose 38.6 per cent as a result of Emirates' expansion and Qantas’ new operation connecting Australia and London through Dubai. On a country level, Australia (+41.7 per cent), France (+23.7 per cent), Saudi Arabia (+22.4 per cent), Thailand (+21.8 per cent) and the UK (+21.7 per cent) saw the largest increases.

In terms of overall passenger numbers, Western Europe traffic took over as the top market thanks to robust growth (+14.8 per cent) during the month. AGCC came in second thanks to 15 per cent year-on-year passenger traffic growth. The Indian subcontinent, which took third spot, continued to show positive growth (+9.8 per cent) due to the expansion of several Indian carriers including Indigo, Spice Jet and Air India Express.

Air freight volumes rose 1.8 per cent in September with volumes of 196,823 tonnes compared to 193,261 recorded during the same period last year. Year-to-date cargo traffic totalled 1,785,539 tonnes, up 6.6 per cent from the 1,674,997 tonnes shipped during the same period last year.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said:

“Passenger and cargo traffic growth continue unabated and Dubai International is on track to eclipse our projections for 65.4 million passengers and 2.7 million tonnes of cargo. With the opening of our new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central, and the ongoing expansion at Dubai International, Dubai’s aviation infrastructure continues to make it an attractive destination for tourism, trade and commerce.”

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July 2013 U.S. airline traffic data shows system passengers unchanged from 2012

By BA Staff

Courtesy of Bts.gov

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported that U.S. airlines carried 69.2 million systemwide (domestic + international) scheduled service passengers in July 2013, the same as in July 2012. The systemwide total was the result of a 0.7 percent decrease in the number of domestic passengers (59.3 million) and a 4.3 percent increase in international passengers (9.9 million).

BTS, a part of the Department’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that U.S. airlines carried 0.4 percent more total systemwide passengers during the first seven months of 2013 (435.0 million) than during the same period in 2012. Domestically, U.S. airlines carried 377.2 million passengers, 0.1 percent more than 2012. Internationally, they carried 57.8 million passengers, up 2.7 percent from 2012. See Tables 2, 8 and 14 of Air Traffic Press Releases for previous-year data.

The July 2013 international load factor of 86.9 percent was a record high for the month of July as year-over-year growth in revenue passenger-miles exceeded international capacity expansion. Systemwide and domestic load factors remained below the all-time July highs reached in 2011. Load factor is a measure of the use of aircraft capacity that compares Revenue Passenger-Miles (RPMs) as a proportion of Available Seat-Miles (ASMs).

 

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Delta Air Lines reports strong September traffic results

by BA Staff

American full service carrier Delta Air Lines reported its traffic results for September 2013. Unit passenger revenues continued the summer's strong performance, increasing 5.5% year over year. Highlights include:

• 5.5% increase in passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM)
• Projected September quarter per gallon fuel price: $2.98 - $3.03
• September mainline completion factor 99.9%
• September on time performance: 90.2%

The table below provides a summary of the full traffic results

	Region	Sep-13	Sep-12	Change
RPMs (billion)
*Traffic	Domestic	9.08	8.99	1.0%
	Mainline	7.36	7.22	1.8%
	Regional	1.73	1.77	-2.2%
	International	6.99	6.8	2.8%
	Latin America	1.07	0.94	13.8%
	Atlantic	3.8	3.72	2.2%
	Pacific	2.11	2.13	-1.0%
	Total System	16.07	15.79	1.8%
ASMs (billion)
*Capacity	Domestic	11.24	11.17	0.7%
	Mainline	8.96	8.88	0.9%
	Regional	2.28	2.28	-
	International	8.06	7.81	3.1%
	Latin America	1.32	1.14	15.5%
	Atlantic	4.2	4.14	1.4%
	Pacific	2.54	2.53	0.2%
	Total System	19.3	18.98	1.7%
Load Factor	Domestic	80.8%	80.5%	0.3
	Mainline	82.1%	81.3%	0.8
	Regional	75.8%	77.5%	-1.7
	International	86.8%	87.0%	-0.2
	Latin America	81.4%	82.7%	-1.3
	Atlantic	90.6%	89.9%	0.7
	Pacific	83.2%	84.3%	-1.1
	Total System	83.3%	83.2%	-0.1
Passengers Boarded	Total System	13.25 million	13.12 million	0.9%
Cargo Ton Miles	Total System	201.57 million	202.71 million	-0.6%

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Cebu Air Pacific grows Visayas hub passengers by up to 33%

By BA Staff

The Philippines’ leading low-cost carrier, Cebu Pacific Air (PSE:CEB) increased operations from its Visayas hubs, in line with its continued push for more tourism and trade in the destinations it flies to. From January to August 2013, the number of passengers through the airline’s Iloilo hub went up by 33%, while guests to and from its Cebu hub increased by 15%. Cebu remains the airline’s second largest hub, with over 2.3 million CEB passengers passing through the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in the first 8 months of the year.

Late last year, CEB doubled the routes it offered to and from the Iloilo International Airport. It provided direct connectivity to Tacloban, Puerto Princesa and General Santos, and pioneered the first international flights out of Iloilo to Hong Kong and Singapore. Previously, CEB only flew from Iloilo to Manila, Cebu, Davao and Cagayan de Oro.

CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog had this to say about the upgrades:

“We hope that our direct air linkages empower everyone to travel in the fastest way possible, and discover tourism and trade opportunities all over the Philippines. Cebu Pacific will always explore how else it can assist in the country’s tourism agenda, with the delivery of more brand-new aircraft until 2021,”

CEB currently operates more than 2,200 weekly flights to over 90 routes or city pairs. The airline flies to 34 domestic and 22 international destinations. Its newest international routes include Manila-Phuket, launched last August 16, 2013, and Manila-Dubai, to be launched on October 7, 2013.
CEB currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 27 Airbus A320, 2 Airbus A330 and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. Its fleet of 47 aircraft is one of the most modern aircraft fleets in the world. Between 2013 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 15 more Airbus A320, 30 Airbus A321neo, and 4 Airbus A330 aircraft.  

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Virgin America Reports August Traffic

By BA Staff

Image Credit: Virgin America

San Francisco-based Virgin America reported its preliminary operational results for August and August year-to-date. Virgin America’s August 2013 traffic (revenue passenger miles) decreased 5.1 percent on capacity (measured in available seat miles) that was 5 percent lower than in August 2012.

Load factor was 82.2 percent, which is unchanged from the same month a year prior. The number of onboard passengers fell 1.9 percent compared with August 2012. Virgin America estimates August 2013 passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) to have increased by between 8 and 9 percent, compared with the same month in 2012.

	August				August Year to Date
	2013	2012	Change		2013	2012	Change
Revenue Passenger Miles (000)	913,612	962,133	5.1%		6,666,197	6,712,749	0.7%
Available Seat Miles (000)	1,110,443	1,168,567	5.0%		8,206,745	8,363,432	1.9%
Passenger Load Factor	82.2%	82.3%	0.1		81.2%	80.3%	1.0
Onboard Passengers (000)	590	601	1.9%		4,259	4,202	1.4%

Virgin America also announced the resumption of its seasonal flights between New York JFK and Palm Springs, which are offered every Saturday as the only nonstop flight between the New York City area and Palm Springs. 

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Delta brings Windows Phones to flight attendants in-flight

Atlanta-based full service carrier Delta Air Lines has announced that its flight attendants today began using new Windows Phone 8 handheld devices to streamline on-board purchases. Find more details below.

22nd August 2013

ATLANTA, Aug. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 19,000 Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) flight attendants today begin using new Windows Phone 8 handheld devices that will streamline on-board purchasing as Delta continues its investment in technological innovation to improve the customer experience.

"Delta's 19,000 in-flight professionals are there for the safety and comfort of our customers, and equipping them with innovative solutions means they can better meet our customers' needs on board every flight," said Joanne Smith, senior vice president – In-Flight Service. "This is yet another way we're investing in technology to improve the customer experience."

The Windows Phone 8 device, a Nokia Lumia 820, enables Delta flight attendants to offer:

• Near real-time credit card processing for on-board purchases, including upgrades to Delta's popular Economy Comfort seating. On-board Economy Comfort upgrades will begin on transcontinental and international flights before being offered on flights across Delta's system.
• Convenient eReceipts that can be emailed to customers.
• Customers' use of pre-paid credit cards for on-board purchases.
• Quicker transaction processing times.
• In the near future, the ability to read coupons displayed on a customer's mobile device.
• More efficient service recovery.

On Aug. 26, flight attendants on Delta Connection flights also will begin using the device.

In the future, Delta expects to provide flight attendants with certain customer-specific information to enable more personalized service.

This solution was developed by Microsoft, Avanade and AT&T after months of development and feedback from flight attendants. The Windows Phone 8 devices will include a Delta-specific customer experience developed by Avanade on the Microsoft Dynamics for Retail mobile point-of sale platform and will operate over Wi-Fi and AT&T's 4G LTE Network. The agreement includes plans to expand the solution over the next three years to the newest Nokia devices.

The new handheld device is Delta's latest investment in technology for customers and employees, which in the past year has included the Fly Delta app for iPad, the launch of the new delta.com in December 2012 and revamped self-service kiosks in September 2012. Delta also offers its popular Fly Delta app for iPhone, Windows Phone, Android and Blackberry smartphones, and today offers in-flight Wi-Fi on more than 800 aircraft.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. Delta was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2013 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, topping the list for the second time in three years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 327 destinations in 63 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta is investing more than $3 billion in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta and Facebook.com/delta.

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INFOGRAPHIC: Airline-wise share of international passenger traffic, to and from India, 2011 to 2012

Based on a report in The Economic Times we have prepared this infographic showing the airlines' market share of international passenger traffic to and from India during fiscal 2011~2012.

The chart throws up some surprises. SriLankan Airlines and Oman Air feature on this list, but Singapore Airlines does not. Hard to accept? and where is AirAsia? Share your thoughts via a comment.

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IATA reports rising passenger traffic growth as business confidence returns

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline industry association which represents some 240 airlines comprising 84% of global air traffic, announced global passenger traffic results for February showing that demand growth is accelerating on the back of stronger business confidence, particularly in emerging regions. Passenger demand rose 3.7% compared to February 2012.

October 2012 appears to have been a turning point for air travel markets. Since October, passenger demand has been growing at an annualized rate of 9%. This is almost double the growth trend over the first 9 months of 2012.

Read the Passenger Traffic Analysis for February 2013 at the end of the article

Tony Tyler, IATA Director General and CEO said

“February’s performance was good news. Demand for air travel continues to rise on economic optimism and improved business confidence. But that comes with a few caveats. Much of the growth is concentrated on emerging markets. Europe continues to be a laggard. And the handling of the banking crisis in Cyprus has reminded all of us that the deep problems in the Eurozone economies still remain,”

Capacity was up 1.0% on the previous February and the industry load factor stood at 77.1%. “Airlines are carefully managing capacity expansion, which is keeping the load factor at a record high. This is helping the industry to remain profitable despite persistently high oil prices.”

International Passenger Markets

February international passenger demand was up 3.6% compared to the year-ago period, and 0.9% compared to January. Capacity rose 1.1% versus February 2012 and load factor climbed 1.8 percentage points to 76.3%.

• Asia-Pacific carriers recorded an increase of 4.5% compared to February 2012. Continuing improvements in China’s economy and growth in intra-Asian trade provided strong support to the passenger business of the region’s airlines. With this robust performance, demand associated with Asia-Pacific’s emerging markets has been a major driver of the stronger growth in international traffic seen recently.
• European carriers recorded 0.8% growth compared to February 2012. Reflecting the contraction of the Euro-zone economy in the fourth quarter of 2012, European carriers have not seen any growth in international demand since October. They have responded by tightly managing capacity, which declined 2.0% year-on-year in February. This pushed the load factor up to 76.5%.
• North American airlines’ international traffic rose just 0.3% in February compared to February 2012; however this doesn’t reflect the significant underlying growth trend over recent months. International revenue passenger kilometres for North America are up 3% in February compared to October. The load factor rose to 76%, reflecting a 4.6% reduction in capacity year-on-year.
• Middle East carriers saw year-on-year demand expand by 10.6%--the strongest among all the regions. Capacity expansion was held to 9.7% with the result that load factor rose 0.7% points to 77.7%, the highest for any region.
• Latin American airlines posted year-on-year growth of 7.0%. A 9.9% rise in capacity, however, pushed load factor down 2.1 percentage points to 76.7%. Robust economic growth in countries such as Colombia, which is experiencing strong demand for commodities exports, is contributing to rising air travel.
• African airlines’ traffic climbed 7.7% compared to February 2012, second best among the regions, while capacity rose 3.9%, boosting the load factor 2.3 percentage points to 65.2%. The rise in load factor commenced in mid-2012, supported by an increase in demand and also from tighter capacity management.

Domestic Passenger Markets

Domestic markets climbed 3.9% in February compared to a year-ago, driven primarily by surging demand in China, as all other markets experienced declines with the exception of Australia, which rose 2.2%. Total domestic capacity was up 0.8% compared to February 2012 and load factor rose 2.3% points to 78.8%.

• US traffic dipped 0.6% in February while capacity dropped 2.5%, pushing load factor up to 80.4%, second highest among the domestic markets. As with international traffic, the year-on-year growth rate is masking a recent uptick in the growth trend. The US market has been growing at an annualized rate of 9% since the fourth quarter of 2012.
• China’s domestic traffic soared 20.2% compared to a year ago, reflecting the impact of Chinese New Year-related travel, but also the continuing acceleration of the economy. With capacity up 13.7%, load factor jumped 4.5 percentage points to 83.8%, which was the highest for any domestic market. Compared to January, traffic was up 5.3%.
• Japan’s domestic market contracted 3.1% compared to February 2012 owing to the flat-lining economy and related weak domestic demand for air travel. Japan’s domestic traffic is 12% below pre-Tsunami levels. Capacity fell 4.7% year-on-year and load factor was the lowest for any market at 62.4%.
• Brazil saw traffic fall 4.3% on a 10.6% plunge in capacity as the country’s airlines act to offset downward pressure on profitability, with economic growth continuing to fall below expectations. Load factor rose 4.6% points to 70.7%.
• Indian domestic traffic dropped 9.1% in February compared to a year ago. In addition to the slowing economy, Indian airlines have been reducing capacity from previously unsustainable levels. Capacity declined 7.5% in February and load factor slipped to 74.5%.

See some great aerial views of the ramp at New Delhi airport

On March 20, IATA raised its outlook for the industry’s earnings performance to a net profit margin of 1.6% from 1.3%. While the airline industry outlook is positive, margins are still thin, and any shock, like that of Cyprus can have extreme repercussions.

IATA is also concerned on the flight delays, longer lines at security and border check-points at US airports thanks to budget sequestration measures which began to take effect on Monday, April 1.

Tyler was critical of these measures saying

“It’s unfair that air travellers should suffer the impact of sequestration given that airlines and passengers already pay around $4.5 billion a year in fees and taxes for the essential services of border control and airport security. It is unlikely that the savings that will be achieved from sequestration will offset the damage to the economy if air travel is discouraged by these cutbacks. Aviation is an important catalyst for economic growth and prosperity. The cost of the shocks, uncertainty and unpleasant surprises can only hamper efforts to revive the economy. The government’s priority should be on extracting the greatest economic benefit possible from aviation—not making it more difficult to do business,”

You can download the detailed Passenger Traffic Analysis for February 2013, here or read it online below.

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Hooray for the courts. Drunk IndiGo passenger gets life term for threatening a hijacking

Early in February 2009, Bangalore Aviation had advocated a strong "zero tolerance" approach to drunk passengers in Indian skies, specifically citing the case of Jitendra Kumar Mohla, a Chartered Accountant, and son of a former Air Commodore of the Indian Air Force, who boarded an IndiGo flight 6E-334 from Goa to New Delhi, in a drunk condition.

Today, we are happy to report that District Judge IS Mehta threw the book at Mohla and sentenced him to life imprisonment. He was convicted under Section 3(1) (D) of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, which deals with offences on board an aircraft. Mohla, however, was acquitted on the charges framed under the Anti Hijacking Act.

During the flight Mohla misbehaved with a stewardess and threatened the entire crew, saying that he was armed. He said he had two accomplices on the board and they would hijack the plane. He also said that he was official of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

According to the police, Mohla had allegedly entered the plane’s cockpit and sparked panic by claiming that he had hijacked the plane. The prosecution has claimed that Mohla had also warned the crew members that he was one of the accused in the infamous 1999 Kandahar hijacking (an Indian Airlines A300 IC 814, from Kathmandu to Delhi was hijacked) and was carrying needles with which he will “infect” others if they resisted him.

This judgement has sent a clear signal for airlines to act against mischief makers on-board their flights by separating intent from actions. The judge said

“Even if it is presumed that he (Mohla) had no such intention, it must be attributed that he knew he was on board an Indigo flight carrying 160 passengers and his terrifying act could endanger the safety of the passengers as well as the aircraft in flight”

One now hopes Indian carriers will take stringent action against perpetrators rather than practising an act of blanket denial. (Today, service of alcohol is prohibited on domestic flights due to past instances of passenger misbehaviour.)

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Ajit Singh's desire for Air India to be number one unleashes a fare war amongst Indian airlines

Less than a week ago the Union Minister of Civil Aviation Mr. Ajit Singh asked Air India to submit a plan to enhance its share in the domestic passenger market, with the ultimate goal of being number one. This desire, against a continuing decline in domestic air passenger numbers. In August only 4.369 million passengers travelled, down 4% from the 4.537 million of July, thanks to surging airfares and a slowing economy.

Jet Airways (down 1.4%) and Kingfisher (down 0.3%) were double hit, as more passengers shifted towards the low fare carriers IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir, but Air India kept its market share steady; an decent performance for a full fare carrier, in these trying times.

Mr. Ajit Singh asked Air India to come out with innovative and customer focused strategies to achieve optimum utilisation of all planes and also maximum utilisation of each plane, but it appears the folks at Air India seem to know only one way to increase market share, a method on which, my fellow analyst, Vinay Bhaskara, made a telling comment

"Once the chase for market share commences, industry-wide bankruptcy looms"

Yes, you guessed right dear readers; to meet the minister's "wishes" Air India has unleashed a fare war to gain market share. It promptly dropped its 30 day advance purchase fares by 15%. The very next day, the country's largest private full service carrier, Jet Airways, followed suit with fare drops on 30 day and 21 day advance purchase APEX fares. Yesterday, other Indian carriers, including, IndiGo and SpiceJet have joined the fare slashing party.

Yet, this is no fun party. These airlines, for all practical purposes, are eating their young to survive. In this war of attrition, everyone is going to be the loser. As passengers we maybe getting a good deal in the short term, but in the long term, it will be us passengers, who will have to make good the losses of the airlines by paying higher fares.

Additionally, as tax-payers, our tax Rupees are being forcibly wrested to infuse Air India with an unlimited lifeline, and if anything, the carrier, and its political masters, have a moral obligation to be more careful and judicious in the use, some may say, waste, of our money.

Surely a well educated Ajit Singh, an alumnus of the prestigious I.I.T. Kharagpur and Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, realises what his well intentioned comments are resulting in, and reigns in this disastrous fare ware before it gets out of hand.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Please share a comment.

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Indian airlines should implement United's 'flat tire' rule and put late-coming passengers on next flight

Photo copyright Weltenbummler. Licensed under CC.

It is a well known business fact, that satisfaction and trust are created when contracts are balanced. Yet, globally, airline ticket contracts are extremely one-sided in favour of airlines, especially when it comes to flight delays and cancellations. In India, while the aviation regulator DGCA has rules on facilities to be provided to a passenger in the event of a delay or cancellation of a flight, it also has a provision of "circumstances beyond an airline's control". With peak hour demands at major airports, outstripping runway capacity, the unfortunate reality, is, that airlines in India, do delay or cancel a reasonable number of flights. The almost universal reason given, is, "circumstances beyond our control".

Yet, if a passenger cannot reach the airport in time, due to reasons beyond their control, a traffic jam, a procession, an accident, or even a tyre puncture, they stand to lose the entire ticket cost, due to being a "no-show". The fear of this loss results in late passengers risking their life and limb, along with those of fellow road users, in a crazed rush to the airport, or even the few ultra-stupid ones who decide to call in a bomb-threat.

Why this double standard? If an airline can have its flight delayed by "ATC delays" (read air or airport traffic jam), then why cannot a passenger be held up by road traffic jam? Both situations are unintentional, caused by "circumstances beyond control". In the world's largest democracy, what is stopping us from practicing this fundamental tenet of equality? This thought has been vexing me for many years.

I am not advocating a blanket refund policy for "no-shows". Such a policy would be instantly abused into oblivion, and will be unfair to airlines. However, there surely must be some middle ground?

The solution comes from United Airlines via consumer rights activist Christopher Elliot's article. It is called the 'flat tire' (tyre puncture) rule.

In essence the rule says, if you have a flat tire on your way to the airport, or are otherwise delayed because of circumstances beyond your control, United will put you on the wait-list for the NEXT flight to your destination at no extra charge. Yes, no extra charges!! No change fee, no fare differential, no "no-show" fee, nothing. If there is a spare seat of the next flight, after clearing that flight's confirmed and previously wait-listed passengers, United will put you on that flight.

To qualify for the 'flat tire' rule, the passenger must arrive at the airport within two hours of the original scheduled departure.

It is an ethical policy that treats the customer with fairness and a modicum of humanity. By accepting the fact the passenger was delayed by uncontrollable circumstances, over a period of time, customers to will reciprocate that acceptance of delays by the airline.

Will such a policy be beneficial for the aviation industry in India? Yes. Is it required? Again Yes.

When faced with doubts and questions, Rotarians apply the "Four-Way Test" asking these questions :

• Is it the TRUTH?
• Is it FAIR to all concerned?
• Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
• Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

United's 'flat tire' rule meets the test in all ways.

• The rule is based on trust and truthfulness between the passenger and airline.
• It creates a level of equality in the contract, which makes it fair to both, the passenger and the airline.
• By putting the passenger on a wait-list for the next flight, the airline is not losing any money, while by accepting the customer on his/her word it builds goodwill for the airline and improves customer loyalty (friendship).
• This creates a beneficial win-win-win situation for the passenger, the airline, and those on the road, who lives are not risked in the mad dash to the airport.

Is there a potential for abuse if such a rule is offered in India? Sure there is. Any privilege can be abused, and not just in India.

One must ask these questions though. In today's hectic schedule driven world, would a passenger knowingly disrupt their schedule? It is important to note, the rule can call for the airline to put the passenger on the wait-list for the next flight, not some flight in the future, and it does not guarantee a seat on the next flight. If the next flight is full or the passenger cannot be accommodated, then he/she gets wait-listed on the next flight after that. The passenger has to be present at the counter when the waiting-list of each flight is cleared. Will a passenger knowingly be late and want to endure such uncertainty? I doubt it.

What are your thoughts? Share them via a comment.

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INFOGRAPHIC: Three years Passenger Load Factors and On Time Performance 2009~2011

In parliament, the Indian civil aviation minister Mr. Ajit Singh released the historical information on the passenger load factors and the on-time performance for domestic operations of Indian carriers for the last three years i.e. from January 2009 to December 2011.

The annual average for each airline is given, as is the average for all airlines for a given year, average for each airline over the three years, and an industry average of all airlines across the three years.

There are some interesting observations to be made, and we will welcome your views by means of a comment. Consider it, a quiz of sorts, did you catch the subtleties?

The opening question we would pose to you - with your knowledge of the Indian airline industry, does this data look accurate? If not, where do you see possible errors?

Go ahead, we are awaiting your comments.

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2011 gives airlines mixed signals. Passenger traffic up 5.9% but freight contracts 0.7%

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that full year 2011 passenger demand rose 5.9% compared to 2010, in line with long-term growth trends. In contrast, cargo markets contracted by 0.7% for the year.

Growth in demand lagged behind capacity increases at 6.3% for passenger and 4.1% for cargo putting downward pressure on load factors and fares. The average passenger load factor for 2011 was 78.1%, down from 78.3% in 2010, while the freight load factor was just 45.9%, down from 48.1% in 2010.

2011 was the year of constrasting signals. Healthy passenger growth, was offset by a declining cargo market. Optimism in China and India contrasted with gloom in Europe. Towards the latter half of the year while the US grew, China and India shrank. Traffic grew but profits shrank.

International Passenger Markets

International air travel rose 6.9% during 2011, bouyed by 6.2% growth from February to July, but dipped to 1.2% from September to December. International capacity climbed 8.2%, pushing the passenger load factor down to 77.4%.

Robust business travel to long-haul markets saw European carriers shrug off the ill effects of the sovereign debt crisis and post the second highest growth rates, behind Latin American carriers. Demand rose 9.5% last year while capacity climbed 10.2%, resulting in a load factor of 78.9%.

North American carriers had the industry’s highest load factors for the year at 80.7% reflecting a tight approach capacity management which grew 6% in the face of a demand increase of just 4% for the year.

Latin American airlines led the industry in traffic growth in 2011 with a 10.2% rise in demand compared to 2010. This also was the only region in which demand growth outstripped capacity growth for the full year, with capacity up 9.2%.

Middle Eastern carriers’ traffic rose 8.9% for the year, against a 9.7% climb in capacity, putting pressure on load factors, which at 75.4%, was the second lowest, behind only Africa. While airlines in the region have slowed their pace of expansion, their price competitive products and well-positioned hubs enable carriers to continue to improve their share of long-haul markets.

Asia-Pacific airlines experienced the widest traffic-capacity gap for the year, with annual traffic up 4.1% versus a 6.4% climb in capacity driving average load factors down to 75.9%. There is no let up in the imbalance and December load factors further slid to 74.7%. A significant part of this slowdown was due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which was coupled by a business slowdown in key Asian economies in the latter half of the year.

African airlines saw passenger demand rise a mere 2.3% for the year, primarily due to civil unrest in North African countries like Egypt and Libya. Capacity climbed a mere 4.4% for the 12 months and load factors were the weakest in the industry at 67.2%.

Domestic Passenger Markets

Domestic RPKs (Revenue Passenger Kilometres -- a measure of actual performance) account for about 37% of the total market. In North America domestic operations constitude about 66.5% of operations. In Latin America, domestic travel accounts for 47.3%. In Asia-Pacific, the large domestic markets in India, China and Japan mean that domestic travel accounts for 42.2% of the region’s operations. It is less important for Europe and most of Africa where domestic travel represents just 11% and 11.6% of operations respectively. And it is negligible for Middle Eastern carriers for whom domestic travel represents just 5.5% of operations.

Passenger demand in domestic markets for the full year rose 4.2% against a 3.1% increase in capacity, leading to load factors of 79.3%. Individual markets varied dramatically in their performance.

US demand rose just 1.3% for the year but capacity growth too was near flat at 0.5%, reflective of the market's maturity and a sluggish US economy. Industry leading load factors of 83%, helped boost airline revenues.

Chinese domestic demand rose a strong 10.9% in 2011 on a 7.8% capacity increase, keeping load factors at a high 82.2%, helping the profitability of the country’s airlines.

India had the strongest annual growth globally, with passenger demand up 16.4% but capacity was increased a dizzying 18.6% driven mostly by IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir, and load factors dived to a dismal 74.7%. Indian carriers seemed to show no sense of moderation and the imbalance during December, traditionally the one of the highest months of air travel, worsened with a 15.5% increase in capacity on a passenger traffic increase of only 9.3%. Like 2008, Indian carriers seem to be intent on devouring each other and themselves with blind capacity increases. This imbalance is once again keeping Indian carriers leading the world -- in losses.

Japan's airlines are still feeling the impact of last year’s earthquake and tsunami. Demand is down 15.2% as is capacity by 11.5%. Load factors were the lowest at a mere 58.8%.

Brazilian carriers saw a 13.7% increase in demand and grew capacity 11.2%. Load factors remain low at 69.3%.

Air Freight (Domestic and International)

Air freight markets shrank 0.6% in 2011, but, December performance increased 1.5% over November, reflective of growing business confidence with growth of the largest economy in the world -- the United States. Even though dedicated freighter fleets have been reduced, airlines have added twin-aisle passenger aircraft like the Airbus A330 and the Boeing 777 which provide plenty of cargo space. This capacity expanson, has seen freight load factors decline to 45.9%.

The Bottom Line

2012 is still showing significant contrasts. The US economy is improving, but Europe, China and India are slowing down. Will the Eurozone crisis explode? Or will the political leaders be able to put a rabbit out of the hat? What impact with the new EU-ETS have on global air travel

It is far to early to predict.

What are your thoughts for 2012? Do you see a trend? Spare a moment and share your views via a comment.

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VIDEOS: The new Southwest Airlines cabin

On Tuesday, Southwest Airlines announced a series of changes to its interior, including the addition of 6 seats to their 737-700 aircraft and a reduction in seat pitch offset by a decrease in recline.

The new cabin also features, "recyclable carpet, a brighter color-scheme, and a more durable, eco-friendly, and comfortable low-profile seat that weighs less than the current seat."

All 372 of the airline's 737-700 aircraft will be retrofitted with the "Evolve" interior beginning in March 2012. Completion is targeted for 2013, and the interior will also be fitted onto the 737-800s which will begin to arrive on property this year, as well as on the carrier's plethora of 737 MAX aircraft which are tentatively scheduled for delivery starting in 2017.

The following video is a time-lapse of the first Southwest 737 to be retrofitted.



Read below for the full details of the new cabin.

The Evolution of the New Cabin Interior Improves Customer Experience and Preserves Personal Space

With a continued focus on Customer comfort, Evolve: The New Southwest Interior retrofit enhances the Customer Experience:

• Modern Cabin Design: The new design incorporates natural, earthy tones combined with Southwest's iconic Canyon blue and clean, aluminum accents for a more modern, fresh appeal. The redesign is inspired by Southwest's past with a nod to the future.
• Lighter and More Comfortable Seat: The redesigned low-profile seat is more durable, made of eco-friendly products, is lighter, and more comfortable.
• Increased Under-Seat Space: The new design allows for more under-seat room for carryon luggage and approved pet carriers.
• Customer Living Space: Reducing the recline from three inches to two inches preserves onboard personal living space while still allowing for ample seat adjustment for Customer comfort.
• Seatback pockets: The new netted seatback pockets are streamlined to provide more knee room.
• Headrest: The fixed-wing headrest provides better neck and head alignment with side-to-side support for sleeping.
• Improved Ergonomics: The combination of the low-profile cushion and fixed wing headrest improves ergonomics by positioning Customers "down and back" into the seat, allowing for better lumbar support, armrest alignment, and increased personal living space.

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Bangalore grows 23% to surpass Chennai and become third largest airport in India

On the back of strong economic growth in the region, Bangalore has grown its passenger traffic 23% to 11.24 million for calendar 2010 surpassing Chennai to become the third largest airport in the country. For the last five years, Bangalore had been leading Chennai as the third largest in domestic passenger and freight traffic, but this year in May the Bengaluru International Airport has helped the city reach the number three slot in overall passenger traffic.

Read 2009 performance here

The passenger traffic in the last quarter was 3.06 million and just six days ago, on December 17, the airport handled 38,134 passengers, the highest ever reported since airport opened in May 2008.

Flight movements grew 8.2% to reach 110,437 averaging 312 movements per day and airlines fly to 30 domestic and 19 international destinations from Bangalore. Air Asia, Air China, Silk Air, Qatar Airways, and FedEx commenced operations to Bangalore during 2010.

The Best Managed Airport in India
The entry of the GVK group has energised airport operations which were facing a resource crunch. The airport won the title 'Best Managed Airport in India' in the CNBC AWAAZ Travel Awards 2010.

The airport operations group led by President Marcel Hungerbuehler and Director Hari Marar have been pushing for continuous improvements in efficiency. The airport maintained flight punctuality of over 85%, within 15 minutes of the scheduled time of departure. Baggage delivery has averaged six minutes from arrival time of aircraft on stand, for the first bag. Check-in wait times too are short at two and a half and four minutes for domestic and international flights respectively. (Read related story on the airport operations control centre.)

However, the management of the airport is going to have to work extra hard with government agencies to reduce the lines and wait times at immigration and to some extent security.

Air Cargo
With the resurgence of manufacturing activity in the hinterland, the airport's two cargo operators Menzies-Bobba Aviation and Air India-Singapore Airport Terminal Services (AI-SATS) saw an impressive 33% growth over last year to 210,000 metric tonnes. FedEx Express commenced direct flights to Bangalore and one can look forward DHL following suit, considering it has a major operations hub at the airport along with partner Blue Dart.

Due to the nature of its high-technology, pharma, food, floriculture, aviation and precision engineering industries, Bangalore has always led India in percentage of GSDP shipped by air. The local Customs commissionerate has traditionally been highly efficient compared with the rest of the country and many an industry from as far away as Chennai has considered importing cargo via Bangalore due to it faster clearing times.

The future
Based on economic projections and the accepted rule of thumb that air traffic grows at twice the GDP growth rate, one can safely estimate a growth of 15% year-on-year for the next two years.

Bangalore Aviation readers may recall the over-crowding in the departure halls soon after the airport opened in 2008 when traffic was at 10.3 million. The economic slowdown of 2008 and 2009 provided a breather to then promoters of the airport, but they chose not to invest in terminal expansion when they had the time.

Luckily for Bangalore, the airport operating company Bengaluru International Airport Limited, was acquired by the GVK group. The re-jiged management led by Managing Director Mr. Sanjay Reddy has fast-tracked the expansion of the existing terminal which is expected to be completed by 2012 and will increase the capacity by about 35%. See photos and video of the proposed expansion.

Indian carriers miss the international bus
The economic slowdown of 2008 and 2009 saw a 20.5% year-on-year contraction in domestic passenger traffic, while international traffic grew at 6.68%.

Despite this strength in international passenger traffic, while Indian carriers are increasing their domestic operations to capitalise on the growth, the three Indian carriers with significant international operations, Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Air India, have largely chosen to ignore Bangalore for their international operations, handing over the international passenger market to foreign carriers. Emirates still remains the largest carrier to Bangalore with 20 wide body operations per week, followed by Lufthansa, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Air France and DragonAir.

Abu Dhabi based Eithad will commence a daily Airbus A320 service to Bangalore joining Qatar Airways to complete the gulf carrier troika.

The airport authorities are hopeful of snagging Thai Air Asia, Thai Tiger, DHL cargo, TNT cargo, China Southern and ANA, though I doubt Thai Tiger, TNT cargo and All Nippon commencing operations any time soon.

Related articles

• Jet flight delayed, flyers fume at Delhi's T3 (ibnlive.in.com)
• Despite healthy patronage, lone Salem flight cancelled (thehindu.com)
• Breakfast at Bangalore International Airport (kish.in)
• Appeal for more flights out of Mysore (thehindu.com)
• For Air Cargo, a Screening Conundrum (nytimes.com)

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