No one can accuse Vistara of being over the top. Tatas and SIA both dislike flambouyance. So true to form, the launch today was low key, with the lighting of a traditional lamp and later a short inauguration by MoS Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma.
Boarding was done row wise. True to its claims of personalised service to each passenger, the airline welcomed us on board with welcome cards signed by the CEO and the Chief Pilot Training. But there was no sign of check-in agents which CEO Phee Teik yeoh had mentioned earlier. Yeoh said these people - ipads in hand, ready to checkin passengers - will be deployed in the coming days. Check-in was quick and hassle free, taking just about a minute since our seats were pre-assigned. Once on board, both Yeoh and Menon asked after each passenger's comfort, walking through the aircraft aisle.
The aircraft cabin looked neat and I sat in a premium economy seat which had a 36 inch seat pitch. Business Class seats have a 42 inch pitch whereas Economy is 31 inch. Vistara's brand colours are gold and aubergine so cabin crew and ground staff were dressed in these colours. The check-in counters at Delhi airport were also decorated with purple orchids and gold trimmings. The aircraft seats and even cushions were aubergine.
The Vistara flight has 16 Business Class seats, 36 Premium Economy and 96 Economy seats. The airline is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines.
Business Class and Premium economy passengers have three meal options - a non-veg and 2 veg. Economy passengers have a choice between one veg and non-veg meal. Besides, 17 special meals are available on request and the menu changes each week. There was fruit juice on offer as a welcome drink and for the main course I had veg kathi roll. Dessert was a pastry called pina colada with pineapple flavour, light and fluffy. But there was more - with the tea/coffee trolley came ice cream tubs (Mother Dairy Classics), a nice little surprise to round off lunch on board.
No in-flight entertainment as of now though, the Vistara board is still to decide on it. Airline officials say IFE will be added later. Premium Economy pricing is slightly less than twice the price for an Economy seat. Vistara has beaten even SIA by launching it first - it is certainly the first Indian airline to launch this seating. Airline officials say they have begun pitching premium economy to corporates and are confident of it being a sellout. The airline right now flies between Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The Vibrant Gujarat summit next week has proved lucky for Vistara since Business Class bookings have jumped between Delhi and Ahmedabad.
10/01/15 Sindhu Bhattacharya /First Post
Boarding was done row wise. True to its claims of personalised service to each passenger, the airline welcomed us on board with welcome cards signed by the CEO and the Chief Pilot Training. But there was no sign of check-in agents which CEO Phee Teik yeoh had mentioned earlier. Yeoh said these people - ipads in hand, ready to checkin passengers - will be deployed in the coming days. Check-in was quick and hassle free, taking just about a minute since our seats were pre-assigned. Once on board, both Yeoh and Menon asked after each passenger's comfort, walking through the aircraft aisle.
The aircraft cabin looked neat and I sat in a premium economy seat which had a 36 inch seat pitch. Business Class seats have a 42 inch pitch whereas Economy is 31 inch. Vistara's brand colours are gold and aubergine so cabin crew and ground staff were dressed in these colours. The check-in counters at Delhi airport were also decorated with purple orchids and gold trimmings. The aircraft seats and even cushions were aubergine.
The Vistara flight has 16 Business Class seats, 36 Premium Economy and 96 Economy seats. The airline is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines.
Business Class and Premium economy passengers have three meal options - a non-veg and 2 veg. Economy passengers have a choice between one veg and non-veg meal. Besides, 17 special meals are available on request and the menu changes each week. There was fruit juice on offer as a welcome drink and for the main course I had veg kathi roll. Dessert was a pastry called pina colada with pineapple flavour, light and fluffy. But there was more - with the tea/coffee trolley came ice cream tubs (Mother Dairy Classics), a nice little surprise to round off lunch on board.
No in-flight entertainment as of now though, the Vistara board is still to decide on it. Airline officials say IFE will be added later. Premium Economy pricing is slightly less than twice the price for an Economy seat. Vistara has beaten even SIA by launching it first - it is certainly the first Indian airline to launch this seating. Airline officials say they have begun pitching premium economy to corporates and are confident of it being a sellout. The airline right now flies between Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The Vibrant Gujarat summit next week has proved lucky for Vistara since Business Class bookings have jumped between Delhi and Ahmedabad.
10/01/15 Sindhu Bhattacharya /First Post
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