New Delhi: "Now everyone can fly". Malaysian low-cost carrier (LCC) AirAsia makes this bold proclamation on each of its aircraft and the airline's JV in India could well signify the same for flyers here.
As India has seen huge upswings and downswings in airlines' fortunes over past few years, what the industry needed was a well-funded group — like the Tatas — tying up with a professional airline to run a stable low-cost-cum-low-fare business that isn't uncertain of its survival."It's a marriage of two great brands. The consumer will have more options and get more competitive prices. AirAsia is known for its very innovative marketing strategies," said a travel consultant.AirAsia sources confirmed this and hinted at what India could expect from it. "We stimulate the market by low fares. Our policy is very simple: Passengers should book as early as possible and get the lowest fares. We open our flights one year in advance and the focus is on discretionary, leisure travellers who can plan their travel well in advance. We have followed this policy in many countries like Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand and hope to do so here too," said a source.
21/02/13 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
