Nov 05, 2015 07:33 PM
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A few years ago, there came a time when a previously unheard name -'Deccan Airlines' shook up the Indian aviation industry with it's rock bottom fares. Just like the airline's name, the fares were completely unheard of. In quick succession, a number of competitors cropped up and the term'budget airlines' made a big time boom. Flight tickets hit an all-time low, sometimes touching three-digit fares too. That brought about a change in the aircrafts as well. They had to introduce something cheaper than economy class - and thus introduced the'cattle-class' aircrafts which offered very little in terms of passenger conveniences. The junta didn't complain - they got to fly at fares which sometimes turned out to be lower than a 2AC ticket between the same cities. All was well, India was shining.
But all good things come to an end. Many of these airlines went on a loss-making spiral and disappeared. Those who survived, such as Indigo and GoAir to name a few, jacked up their fares significantly. So what remained were the cattle-class aircrafts with a'polished' ground staff and fares which remained somewhere between the 3k-10k mark. Among all these airlines, Indigo emerged as a strong player, primarily owing to its punctual service and it's fleet of brand-new and well maintained aircrafts. Indigo stuck to it's base formulas for success and still remains among the top domestic airlines in India today.
As I have already mentioned before - the aircrafts in Indigo's fleet are all new and well maintained which is a reassuring feeling for flyers. I have travelled in an old Boing 737 from Deccan's leased fleet and I know how it unnerving it feels when the aircraft makes rattling sounds. Thankfully, Indigo's fleet of A320s do not make you feel so, even in bad weather. The interiors of the aircrafts are also very clean and well maintained. However, what mars your journey is the comfort, rather the lack of it. In the most polite words, it's just as comfortable as a state transport bus. You get the same amount of leg room and shoulder room. The seat can be reclined, which is actually funny - I wonder why they allowed the seat to recline by just three degrees? Was it supposed to be a cruel joke on passengers? On all other aspects - lumbar support, back support, and lateral support, it's just as comfortable as the abovesaid state transport bus. New definition for Air Bus?
Comfort aside, the service is actually quite commendable. Maintaining a 90% punctuality rate in a country like India is a herculean achievement and Indigo have consistently maintained that record - which itself is the prime reason why I prefer Indigo even when I get cheaper options available. The ground staff is actually quite good if you keep yuor expectations low. If you are travelling light(i.e only cabin baggage), you can actually carry your web checkin slip and proceed directly to the security gates - a straight saving of 30 minutes. On-board services are best avoided. For a three-hours-or-less journey, it's not worth paying the obscene amounts charged for food and conveniences. The food itself is nothing worth writing about, though on worst cases of hunger pangs I may pick up a tin of cashews. Nothing more.
Overall very satisfied with Indigo's fleet of well maintained aircrafts and punctual service. Never expected more from them and hence I was never disappointed.
