Three paths to no-frills flight

Bangalore: These are desperate times for the low-cost carriers. And each one is trying to chart a different flight path to shore up yields and load factors.
If the oldest budget airline Air Deccan is looking at connecting metros to under-served cities, rival SpiceJet has decided to sub-lease two aircraft during the next lean season (July to September).
GoAir is taking the consolidation route and has focused completely on profitability. “Our strategy is being aggressive in the peak season and consolidating in the off-season,” said GoAir’s promoter Jeh Wadia.
In contrast, newest no-frills but fastest-growing airline IndiGo has aggressive expansion plans. By March 2008, it will expand its fleet to 18 aircraft. This, it wants to do by giving affordable fares without compromising on yields
Even Air Deccan, which has reached a fleet size of 40 aircraft (19 Airbus +19 ATR), has not plans of slowing down. By the end of this calendar year, the carrier would be adding 12 aircraft.
06/04/07 Praveena Sharma/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: Low Cost General Apr 2007