I flew the good times on Kingfisher Airlines.
Now, THAT statement says it all, doesn’t it? It says that:
I have used the services of Kingfisher Airlines
I had a GOOD TIME!!
Why do I still need to write a review? Hmmm… it’s because I wish to cater to you inquisitive souls who’re reading right now to know what’s so special or not-so-special about KINGFISHER AIRLINES. So, go on… read further…
Kingfisher Airlines is Liquor Barron, Dr. VIJAY MALLYA’s baby. He fathered the idea to start an Airlines which caters to every passenger as a respected unique individual and that’s what that makes this flight incomparable & The Best in business today. Anyone who follows Page 3 (I’m talking about the section in TOI Newspaper) closely would know that Vijay Mallya spells Class & Style and I am glad he added this same touch to his Airlines too.
What’s different about Kingfisher Airlines :
The hoardings to start with. I was myself, pretty surprised to see a young girl with a trendy haircut, curls all over her face with a very down-to-earth look on the hoardings for this line of Airlines. It was such a contradiction to the prim-proper, plastic faced models they used for other flights. I mean to say that when I saw the hoarding of Kingfisher Airlines it immediately conveyed to me that I could expect something natural and genuine from them and Right I was!!
The air hostess’ (oops! I forgot… they’re very aptly called as ”Flying Models”) were dressed in Classy designer outfits of red mini skirts and red jackets with rolled up sleeves to match and hair in neat pony tails…all in all, a fresh, relaxed & natural look! No plastic smiles, no pan-caked faces in here. Oh yeah, I was left wondering why there were no MALE flying models. My devilish mind immediately thinks of a red-pant Salman Khan (Hello Brother) and in worst case, a Govinda!! Eeks!! No! Female flying models are better if they’re going to stick to the post-box red uniform! :D
There’s NO CLASS…literally! I mean to say that unlike other airlines, Kingfisher Airlines believes in EQUALITY and there’s nothing like First Class, Business Class or Economy Class. There’s just ONE CLASS… Kingfisher Class and what a class it is!! : )
Instead of the usual air-hostess exhibiting the sign language of safety instructions on board (which I guess, amused just me & the kids on board if a person travelled as many times as I have already)…In Kingfisher Airlines, we had a sultry Yana Gupta demonstrating & explaining the safety instructions in English and HINDI! I bet! None of the men onboard would have afforded dilly dallying with the gadgets onboard or digging into the papers while Yana was expressing her concern and instructions for our safety! :D This was one message clearly conveyed and had the audience in rapt attention for reasons best known to them ;)
Oh, by the way, I conveniently was forgetting to mention that Yana Gupta was demonstrating on the small screen in front of every passenger. For entertainment, every passenger has his own monitor screen above his tray table. Now, this screen has dual use. For one, it shows the location of the plane, the major cities en-route the journey, height above ground, speed, temperature outside, and time required to reach destination…and this is a hi-tech dynamic information screen which makes one feel like a co-pilot : ) or gives the sense of being updated and informed. This very screen also displays 5 channels with pre-recorded programmes to entertain throughout the flight. The programmes were fun like Cyrus’s mumblings, The Great Indian laughter challenge, an animated hilarious programme, walk-the-talk with Aamir khan and Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. In addition to this there are 10 radio channels (in English & hindi) to choose from with an on-flight RJ to keep you company. All in all, Total Entertainment!
My experience :
LUGGAGE HANDLING: The minute I stepped out of the Taxi at Santacruz Airport, I was greeted by a guy dressed in post-box red who looked at the printout I was holding (it was an online booked ticket) and on realising that I was a Kingfisher Airlines passenger, he promptly brought over a trolley and from there on till I was handed over my Boarding pass, he was right beside me handling my luggage with utmost care. I was mighty impressed. A Well begun journey is a great thing and since this was in the early hours of the morning, it stuck a smile on my face which didn’t wear off for the whole day : )!! Felt wonderful to be pampered like this!
PROCESSING: Their processing time, right from the luggage screening counter to the check-in, is appreciative. The best thing is that you really feel at home. There’s not a trace of any artificiality and THIS makes Kingfisher Airlines different from the rest of the airlines I have experience with.
Well, the good times had just begun!
PUNCTUALITY : On our return journey due to the bad weather in Mumbai and it was raining in Delhi too, it was heartening to see that while Indian Airlines was running late by more than half an hour, Kingfisher Airlines was giving clear announcements of being 10 minutes late. Otherwise, on our journey TO Delhi, it was right on time!
FOOD: For the non-vegetarians, there’s no choice but, for the vegetarians you can choose between a south Indian or a north Indian meal and yeah! You are handed over a tiny menu card when you are seated and offered refreshment drink (nope…no beer! No kingfisher! :D But, yeah, fresh juice, sprite or Pepsi…whatever you please!). The food was decent fare and served in appropriate quantity keeping in mind the time of the journey as well.
SEATS & COMFORT:
Spacious, comfortable and good legroom. I had no complaints with their seating comfort.
VALUE FOR MONEY:
Cent percent, I would say! However, there’s one thing I noticed. I was flying from Mumbai to Delhi & back. When I had initially booked my tickets for my round trip, a week before my journey, it cost me in Rupees 10k+ but, surprisingly I was lucky enough to grab the opportunity of getting the same ticket through online booking for 7k+ just 3 days before the departure date!! I could understand that the fares vary for no particularly disclosed reasons but, I think I had better tip you guys on this so that you may watch out for such offers and opportunities. Good luck!
CURRENT OFFERS:
The CHILL TIMES OFFER :
6 boarding passes gets you 1 return ticket free
4 boarding passes gets you 1 one-way ticket free
Now, this is a good thing for people undertaking lots of business travels and this offer is valid till September end.
This September, Kingfisher Airlines (called FUNLINERS) has completed 3 successful months of flying in style! They currently have 4 brand new Aircrafts in white and K I N G F I S H E R written across in red and they’re offering 26 flights daily. However, they cater to cities of MUMBAI, BANGALORE, DELHI & GOA only!! This is the only area where they need to improve, according to me. Hope they’ll come up with a greater network connecting many more cities.
Every minute of Kingfisher experience was a Chill thing!! & it definitely proves that Vijay Mallya appreciates his passengers’ business!
Kingfisher Airlines is for you if you want value for money and also, a dash of class & style.
