Air India Express calls for creative pitch

Air India Express has called for a creative pitch and many leading agencies have taken part in the same, highly placed sources have confirmed to exchange4media. 

The process of merging AirAsia India into Air India Express is on going.

This will be a big ticket win for the chosen creative agency as it will handle the creative communication for the unified entity's 14 international and several domestic destinations out of the total 40. After the merger, the communication for domestic as well as international flights will come under the newly formed 'New' Air India Express.

As per the sources, the agencies that participated in the pitch are Havas Creative, Dentsu Creative India, TBWA, Ogilvy India, FCB Group India and JWT. The results of the same will be declared soon.

31/07/2023 Tanzila Shaikh/Exchange4media

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Air Asia India to fly as 'Air India Express'

You may not see the Air Asia India brand while booking tickets or on the plane very soon as Tatas plan to bid goodbye to the original branding of its subsidiary Air Asia India which was re-branded as AIX Connect after the Tatas took full control of the airline.

AIX Connect has received regulatory approval to operate flights under the brand name 'Air India Express.'

This takes Tata Group's plan to merge Air India Express & Air Asia India as a Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) one step closer.

The approval from the regulator allows both Air India Express & AIX Connect flights to be marketed, distributed and operated under a common brand name 'Air India Express', prior to the subsequent scheduled legal merger of the two entities.

Air India Express and AirAsia India have taken significant steps towards integration. In March, the airlines introduced a unified website, airindiaexpress.com, providing a comprehensive user interface, enabling users to access the services of both carriers on a single platform.

27/07/2023 Madeeha Mujawar/CNBC TV18

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Air India Express flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai returns due to AC issue

An Air India Express flight from the Kerala state capital to Dubai returned, on Sunday, barely a couple of hours after take off due to an issue with the air conditioning system of the aircraft, Thiruvananthapuram airport officials said. The flight, IX 539, which took off with 178 people onboard -- including the crew -- from here at 1.19 PM returned back and landed safely at 3.52 PM, an airport official said.

"The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew are fine. A local standby was declared. It was an AC issue," the official said.

The airline said that flight IX-539 operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai, experienced a technical issue with the air conditioning system after take-off and the operating crew decided to carry out a precautionary landing at Thiruvananthapuram.

"The airline promptly arranged for another aircraft to ensure a comfortable journey, accommodating all the guests for the rescheduled departure at 18.00 hours," an Air India spokesperson said.

"The flight is expected to arrive by 20.45 Gulf Standard Time," the spokesperson further said.

23/07/2023 PTI/Economic Times

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Biryani Floats In Water! Air India Express Passenger Slams Airline For Serving Watery Biryani

We often hear about many airlines serving bad-quality food to passengers. And this time we came across a Facebook video that shows how Air India Express served poor-quality biryani. Social worker Ashraf Thamarassery posted a video online talking about his experiences and showing the quality of the biryani served when he was flying with the airline between Sharjah and Kozhikore.

Here’s the video shared by Ashraf Thamarassery on Facebook. He took to the caption of the video to share all the details of flying with Air India Express and the kind of food that he was served on this flight journey.

Ashraf Thamarassery expressed his disappointment and anger in this video stating that he booked the flight ticket by paying double the fare. After boarding the flight, he felt very hungry and that’s why he placed an order for biryani. He was completely shocked after opening the container of biryani costing Dh15 (approx. ₹336). As shown in the video, the food had a lot of water inside and it looked like the biryani was floating inside the container. The biryani was cooked with green peas and some more vegetables. He even asked the Netizens in the caption that is it worth it to pay this amount for such quality food.

The social activist also added that the airline has stopped offering free snacks to the passengers on board.

Shared on 10 July, the video started making rounds of the Facebook platform very soon. Netizens began sharing it and more and more people started coming across this video. Right now, it has garnered more than 2 million views with thousands of reactions and comments.

14/07/2023 Shreya Ghosh/CurlyTales

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Air India Express flight to Dubai delayed over 12 hours due to technical snag

Mumbai: An Air India Express flight bound for Dubai faced a delay of over 12 hours due to a technical snag.

Flight IX 813, scheduled to depart from Mangaluru International Airport at 11:05 pm on Monday, finally took off at 12:10 pm on Tuesday. Air India Express expressed regret for the inconvenience caused and explained that a progressive technical issue led to the delay.

“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to our guests due to the delay of the Mangaluru-Dubai flight on 10th July,” the airline said in a statement. “Due to a progressive technical snag, the flight was delayed by over 12 hours and took off at 12.10 hrs today. To facilitate the journey, an alternative aircraft was arranged, which was ferried from Trivandrum,” it added.

Passengers were provided refreshments during the waiting period, with alternative travel options and accommodation being offered as well.

“Despite offering alternative options like a connecting flight on the Mangalore-Trivandrum-Dubai route or hotel accommodation, guests opted to wait for the arrival of the ferry flight. Airline staff ensured that guests’ were provided refreshments at regular intervals. We sincerely appreciate the cooperation and understanding of our guests during this situation,” it said.

13/07/2023 ANI/Gulf News

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Air India Express launches ‘Xpress Ahead’ Services

Air India Express (AIXL) has unveiled its exclusive priority services, ‘Xpress Ahead,’ aimed at elevating the overall travel experience for its guests. The programme offers a comprehensive range of priority services and benefits, ensuring a seamless journey from check-in to landing for guests who opt to enhance their travel experience for a nominal fee. This includes premium services like a dedicated check-in counter at the airport, priority baggage handling, priority boarding, and expedited baggage delivery upon arrival.

‘Xpress Ahead’ services are currently available for purchase exclusively at Indian airports for international flights operated by Air India Express. Guests can conveniently add-on ‘Xpress Ahead’ services at the airport check-in counter until the counter closure time. The option to pre-book ‘Xpress Ahead’ online on international flights will also soon be made available across the entire Air India Express network. Additionally, for domestic travel, guests flying with sister Air India group airline, AirAsia India have the option to pre-book ‘Xpress Ahead’ services on the mobile app, or the consolidated airline website airindiaexpress.com or at all domestic airports.

The introduction of a common brand and proposition of ‘Xpress Ahead’ services across Air India Express and AirAsia India comes a week after the airline announced the launch of a common revamped in-flight dining menu under the brand ‘Gourmair’. The revamped Gourmair in-flight dining menu offers a diverse range of hot meals, lite bites, seasonal fruits and fusion desserts to cater to domestic and international guests’ across.

05/07/2023 Tatiana Rokou/Travel Daily News

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Air India Express launches ‘Xpress Ahead’ services

Air India Express (AIXL), the market leader on India-Middle East routes, has unveiled its exclusive priority services, ‘Xpress Ahead,’ aimed at elevating the overall travel experience for its guests. The programme offers a comprehensive range of priority services and benefits, ensuring a seamless journey from check-in to landing for guests who opt to enhance their travel experience for a nominal fee. This includes premium services like a dedicated check-in counter at the airport, priority baggage handling, priority boarding, and expedited baggage delivery upon arrival.

‘Xpress Ahead’ services are currently available for purchase exclusively at Indian airports for international flights operated by Air India Express. Guests can conveniently add-on ‘Xpress Ahead’ services at the airport check-in counter until the counter closure time. The option to pre-book ‘Xpress Ahead’ online on international flights will also soon be made available across the entire Air India Express network. Additionally, for domestic travel, guests flying with sister Air India group airline, AirAsia India have the option to pre-book ‘Xpress Ahead’ services on the mobile app, or the consolidated airline website airindiaexpress.com or at all domestic airports.

03/07/2023 Travel Trade Journal

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