Vistara has received the Category III Bravo (CAT III-B) certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Permitting its CAT IIIB compliant fleet and crew to safely take-off and touch-down with a Runway Visibility Range (RVR) of as low as 75 meters, the approval is a milestone achievement as it is the highest level of low-visibility rating awarded in India currently. The certification will enable Vistara to safely operate under low visibility conditions due to fog or any other poor weather conditions, which is anticipated in north east and northern parts of the country, typically during year-end and the beginning of the year. Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara said “Although a bad weather condition is beyond our control, we always endeavor to minimise the inconvenience faced by our customers during a flight delay or diversion arising from inclement weather. We value the trust and faith our customers repose in us when they make Vistara their choice of travel. We are therefore committed to offer a seamless flying experience to them – be it in terms of deploying the most advanced technologies and systems for our aircraft, adequately training our crew or providing a memorable on-board experience. I am proud of my team’s relentless efforts in the past months to secure the regulatory approval for Cat 3B well in time before the fog season sets in. This certification will allow us to provide a seamless flying experience to our valued customers.” Vistara’s current fleet of 13 brand new A320s come with the integrated CAT IIIB auto land system, and its crew is given rigorous training to ensure the safety of its customers and providing a world class travel experience. Vistara …
Read More »Vistara to fly daily to Port Blair from Delhi and Kolkata
Vistara inaugurated operations to Port Blair, as its flight UK 747 took off from Delhi for Port Blair via Kolkata, at 0720 hours on Sept 30. With the addition of Port Blair, Vistara now serves 18 destinations across the length and breadth of the country. The new service to Port Blair offers a daily flight from Delhi and Kolkata (same aircraft service via Kolkata), with arrival and departure timings that allow for convenient connections to ferry and catamaran services between Port Blair and Havelock Island. Commenting on the launch of the new services, Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara, said, “We are delighted to add Port Blair to our fast-growing network with a daily direct flight from Delhi via Kolkata. The Andamans are a beautiful part of India with rich history and breathtaking natural beauty. We are pleased to offer both the visitors, and the wonderful residents of this region, the chance to experience ‘the new feeling’ of flying Vistara, an airline that is setting new standards of service excellence, when they travel to and from Port Blair.” Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer, Vistara, added, “Delivering on our brand promise to provide seamless, thoughtful and personalized services, we are pleased to introduce a variety of attractively priced packages in cooperation with top travel entities to offer our customers the most convenient travel in the Andamans. While Port Blair itself offers a lot to see and do, including the historic Cellular Jail and an excursion to the neighboring Ross Island, we have also timed our flights to offer the most convenient connections to and from the most popular inter-island ferries such as to Havelock Island.” Vistara also announced the addition …
Read More »Vistara launches suite of ancillary products and services
Vistara has announced the launch of a suite of ancillary products and services including electronic coupon books, class upgrades, lounge pass, excess baggage. All of these products and services can be purchased online during the booking process, or added post-booking through the ‘Manage My Booking’ function. Customers who provide their email addresses or mobile phone numbers at the time of booking will also receive an email or SMS with a ‘hot link’ prior to their flight to enable them to directly access their booking and purchase the ancillary products of their choice. Commenting on the launch, Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer, Vistara, said “We are pleased to launch this suite of ancillary products and services that are designed to offer customers more choices at attractive rates, and that can be purchased with the click of a button. This is the first wave of several more ancillary products and services that are in the pipeline, to be launched in the coming weeks to offer customers even more options to enhance their experience as they Fly the New Feeling.”
Read More »SpiceJet records highest passenger load factor at 92%
SpiceJet continues to record highest passenger load factor (PLF) among Indian carriers with 92 per cent for the month of July 2016, according to statistics released by Ministry of Civil Aviation. SpiceJet has achieved above 90 per cent PLF for 15 successive months. The airline’s On-time Performance (OTP) for the month of July 2016 was recorded at 79.2 per cent, second only to Vistara with 80.30 per cent. OTP has been computed for its operations across the four metro airports of Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. SpiceJet operated 298 daily flights and carried 9.94 lakh passengers during the month thereby registering a market share of 11.7 per cent. Flight cancellations have also declined steadily over the past few months for the airline, with the cancellation rate for July 2016 being just 0.28 per cent. The total passengers carried by domestic airlines during Jan-Jul 2016 were 560.87 lakhs as against 455.95 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering a growth of 23.01 per cent.
Read More »Vistara signs Deepika Padukone as brand ambassador
Vistara has launched its new multimedia brand campaign along with its first TV commercial that features actor Deepika Padukone. The campaign delivers on the brand promise of “Fly the new feeling” through the eyes of the airline’s new brand ambassador. Through this campaign, Vistara wishes to reach out to its core audience of corporate and frequent flyers who are willing to pay a premium for the unique offerings provided by the full service airline. Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara, said, “We believe the journey should be as enjoyable as the destination. Our new brand campaign with Deepika Padukone highlights the unique feeling of flying Vistara. Through this campaign, she has brought to life the special spark of happiness that people feel when they fly with Vistara, the airline that is proud to carry the remarkable heritage of Tata group.” Within 19 months, Vistara has expanded its network from its hub in New Delhi and now serves 17 destinations across the country with 11 Airbus A320 aircraft flying 475 flights a week. By end of this year, Vistara’s fleet will grow to 13 Airbus A320 aircraft and it will fly over 500 flights a week to 18 destinations.
Read More »Port Blair now on Vistara network
Vistara has announced the addition of Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, as its 18th destination, effective September 30, 2016. Port Blair will be served daily from Kolkata and from New Delhi (same aircraft service via Kolkata). With this new flight, frequency between Delhi and Kolkata will also increase to three flights daily. Twice daily service to Kolkata from Delhi had commenced on June 10 this year, and has seen very high demand for Vistara’s product. One way fares start from Rs 5,500 from Kolkata and Rs 9,850 from New Delhi. Tickets are now available for sale on all channels.
Read More »Vistara connects Kolkata-Delhi
Vistara has launched its inaugural flight to India’s cultural capital, Kolkata from IGI airport, Delhi at 07.20 am on June 10. Kolkata will now be directly connected to Delhi via double daily flights offering convenient same-day return options in both directions. The one-way fare on this route is Rs 6980, plus taxes. Kolkata travellers will also be able to experience Vistara’s Bengali food festival on-board its flights starting today till June 16, as well as relish the traditional sweet of Bengal, Kheer Kadam, on all its flights until June 14. Kolkata is Vistara’s fourth destination in the east and the fifth metro in the country. This new addition to Vistara’s expanding network will enable leisure, corporate and pilgrimage travellers who especially come to visit the famous religious places like Dakshineswar and Kalighat to enjoy Vistara’s ‘new feeling’ and its world class travel experience with direct connectivity to the capital.
Read More »Vistara increases frequency to Guwahati
Vistara announces additional frequency between Delhi and Guwahati. Effective June 18, 2016, Vistara will operate double daily on the Delhi-Guwahati route. Introductory one-way fare starting Rs 2,700 in Economy Class, Rs. 5,000 in Premium Economy and Rs. 15,000 in Business Class. Guwahati, the gateway to the northeast, is the largest and most cosmopolitan city in Assam and serves as the starting point for most north eastern itineraries. With the addition of the new frequency, Vistara will now offer convenient connections to Guwahati from Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Srinagar, and from Guwahati to Bagdogra, and to Mumbai and Ahmedabad via Delhi.
Read More »Vistara increases summer flights
Vistara has announced a 25 per cent increase in flights at the start of its summer 2016 schedule, including the launch of new services to Jammu, Srinagar and Kochi. Its network will now cover 15 cities as the airline increases its weekly flights from 317 to almost 400 weekly. With the induction of four new Airbus A320 aircraft during the course of the year, the airline will introduce additional new destinations and further increase frequency on its existing routes. By the end of October 2016, the total number of flights would have increased by 85% relative to the current schedule. Starting April 7, 2016, Vistara will offer direct daily return flights from Delhi to Srinagar and from April 9, 2016 daily same-aircraft flights from Delhi to Jammu via Srinagar. The direct daily return flights from Mumbai to Kochi, and daily same-aircraft flights from Delhi to Kochi via Mumbai will commence from April 14, 2016. The new summer schedule has 17 city pairs connected through direct (non-stop) flights; 16 additional city pairs connected through ‘via’ flights such as Mumbai to Varanasi, Lucknow and Bhubaneshwar and Bengaluru to Guwahati; and over 40 additional single-stop travel options through connecting flights such as Srinagar to Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bhubaneshwar; and Lucknow to Pune and Hyderabad (all via Delhi). Flights and connections on the new schedule will be open for sale through all channels this week. With a focus on enhancing its connectivity in key metros, Vistara will also be increasing the frequency of its existing Delhi-Bengaluru service.
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