What full-service carriers and low-cost airlines are offering to woo & retain frequent flyers

Frequent business travellers are an airline's delight. They pay up to 300% more than the lowest fares offered for advance purchases and over 10 times the average fare for business class seats. In other words, they are the backbone of an industry that struggles to make money.

Most passengers would want nothing more than airlines to be on time and offer a hassle-free, clean service. The expectations of frequent travellers are markedly higher. Even on flights of two hours or more, they wouldn't mind paying a premium for extra legroom, the comfort of an airport lounge, accumulation of air miles and tasty food. A decent in-flight entertainment is a must.
Due to the absence of low-cost aviation infrastructure in India, the traditional boundaries between full-service carriers and low-cost airlines have blurred. Lowcost, or budget, carriers have been offering improved services for better yields and full-service carriers have been reducing add-on services along with fares to retain market share.

Little elbow room for premium carriers in low-fare focused India

(Reuters) - A decade after low-cost carriers led India's air travel boom, full-service airlines are gearing up for a battle for premium passengers that only the deep-pocketed are likely to win.
Flag carrier Air India, which has only offered premium travel, will face more competition from second-largest airline Jet Airways, which on Monday said it would ditch its budget unit and focus on the full-service market amid mounting losses.
The carriers are also bracing for Vistara, a venture between Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIAL.SI) and conglomerate Tata Sons Ltd which will start flying in October.

AAI readies plan for low-cost airports

New Delhi: There's good news for all flyers fed up with paying prohibitively steep airport charges for using terminals at places like Delhi and Mumbai. State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) has prepared a blueprint of low-cost or no-frills terminals that will allow airports to come up across India and improve connectivity.

Aviation secretary Ashok Lavasa disclosed this at an industry-government interface organized by Economic Times along with the American Chamber of Commerce here on Wednesday. "The design of airports built in past few years have been rather ambitious. There is a lot of scope for cutting costs and conserving energy. The roadmap for no-frills airport is ready and that should help up achieve the objective of enhancing regional connectivity," Lavasa, an energy conservationist, said.

IndiGo, GoAir and other 'low-cost' carriers, charging more than full service ones

New Delhi: 'Low-cost' carriers in India are no longer what they claim as they have been found charging fares higher than the full service airlines.
The low cost carriers (LCCs) were found to be charging 10 to 50 per cent more than their full service counterparts on some of the routes in the month of August, which usually is considered a lean period for the aviation sector, a study by aviation regulator DGCA said.

Gulf could handle up to 4 more low cost carriers - analyst

As Oman considers launching up to two new airlines, a leading aviation analyst said the region’s market could accommodate up to four more low cost carriers.

Oman seeks bidders for new low-cost carrier

Salalah: Oman expects as many as four investors to compete for a licence to operate a new low-cost airline to challenge regional carriers flydubai and Air Arabia and lure business travellers and tourists to the Sultanate.