Image makeover: IA grounds free upgrades

New Delhi: Indian Airlines has decided to ground requests — even from government departments — for free upgrades to its business class seats.
The move, airline sources said, is aimed at improving the profile of its business class product besides boosting the revenue stream.
"We had reached a state where a majority of the seats in Business Class were being filled from free upgrade requests — be it from government officials or personal guests of high-profile individuals. We wanted to curb this practice, which was diminishing the value of our premium product," a source said.
This, airline officials said, is part of efforts to improve the look and feel of Indian in the wake of increased competition from new entrants in the domestic skies. Any request for free upgrades, the sources said, are now being dealt with directly by Indian Airlines chairman Vishwapati Trivedi.
13/07/06 Times of India

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