Jet Airways Predicts Return of Premium Travel to Bolster Europe

Jet Airways (India) Ltd., the carrier that says it was first to offer private suites in first class, predicts that business travelers will return to premium seats, helping fuel the airline’s expansion in Europe.
“We are seeing more confidence in the corporate market, and some of the more draconian travel policies are starting to loosen,” Raja Segran, Jet’s head of European operations, said in an interview. “Last year was a difficult year for us, but the worst is behind us.”
Jet, India’s largest airline, leased out part of its long-haul fleet, delayed plane orders and pared services during the global recession. At the same time, the carrier made improvements in business class, including becoming the first to offer complimentary Dom Perignon champagne.
Corporate flyers are starting to come back to more luxurious -- and expensive -- seats after a slump that followed the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Inc. in September 2008, Segran said. The airline, which makes more than half of its revenue from international flights after starting as a domestic carrier in 1993, plans to resume expanding in Europe by 2011, he said.
12/04/10 Steve Rothwell/Business Week

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Categories: Foreign Apr 2010, Jet Airways Apr 2010