I always find it a little suspect when people try to do novelty airlines, maybe because I’m one of those paranoid people who, even after years of flying and hundreds of flights, still routinely thinks “We’re all going to die!” at least two or three times on any given flight. Thus, I will never fly the now-grounded “Hooters Air,” even if it does come back. (Guys, keep your eyes on the… cockpit? please?)
Kingfisher Airlines might end up as a better bet, but as might be proper in an airline that emerged out of a beer company, if I do ever fly with them I’ll still probably feel compelled to smell the pilot’s breath before I take my seat. Apparently, Kingfisher Airlines, one of India’s newer domestic carriers, has signed a deal with Airbus to buy several jumbo and superjumbo planes, with an eye to entering the international market. The move is part of a general boom in international travel to India (which has been up by about 40% this year alone).
The New York Times article about the event spends as much time talking about the lifestyle of Kingfisher’s flamboyant CEO Vijay Mallya, as it does considering the economic viability of the venture (they do note that Kingfisher Airlines has yet to turn a profit as a domestic carrier in India):
Mr. Mallya personally is the sort of unfettered corporate czar that many American boardrooms have not seen in at least half a century. He surrounds himself with a close group of longtime advisers, wears copious diamonds, holds business meetings at his house until 5 in the morning, winks at female journalists and flaunts the “good times†corporate motif in most aspects of his life.
At home, a Mercedes, a Ferrari and a Bentley are parked in his driveway. His ornate living room is filled with silver gilded furniture and art objects like a marble statue of a nymph-like woman, as well as a Picasso sketch. His CD collection includes dance, lounge and party music.
A group of largely silent young women clad in white deliver drinks, answer phones and clean up ashtrays. (link)
Kya baat hai. Vijay Mallya seems to be a mix of new-school Indian self-confidence and ambition (this is a huge endeavour), and a kind of old-school, “ladies’ man” absurdity that seems to have come out of some 70s Bollywood movie. Even the attractive female flight attendants are a big part of the company’s marketing campaign, which seems like an obvious Vijay Mallya touch (see this article).
In general, I have to say that Kingfisher’s “keep the good times rolling” marketing campaign simply isn’t appealing to me. From an airline I really want the boring things — professionalism, competence, and yeah, safety — not so much “party time.”
But is he perhaps appealing to a real demographic, one that’s a bit less stodgy and paranoid than me? Are people really going to fly Kingfisher “Good Times” Airlines to go to and from the Desh?
I think of Mallya as India’s Branson. He runs a portfolio of businesses that are not necessarily connected with each other, but all driven by his flamboyant image.
As for KF, I’ve flown it in India and found them pretty good, but they are certainly no Jet Airways. The one thing I found silly was the attention they’d devoted to a frill such as personalized TV screens on seat backs, but the programming was abysmally poor.
amardeep, i thought kingfisher was sort of the desi version of virgin atlantic – when VA started, part of what appealed to the passengers were all those extra perks that you couldn’t find on other airlines, and that really do make the journey more fun and tolerable. even things like the in-air announcements on VA are a break from the usual, but i didn’t think they slacked off on any of the safety or competence measures – they just didn’t make it seem as boring or routine as the other airlines. i’ve heard from several different people that KF is quite similar in this vein, though i haven’t flown it myself. it’s also appears a bit more expensive, but i think these days many people would be willing to pay more for air travel that gives them something extra to ease the journey.
as for mallya, he has a sort of interesting (i’ll leave it at that) image, but he made a rather uncool statement about homosexuals recently.
Every redblooded Indian male including self have done three things without fail –
All Mallya does is do various permutations of 1,2 and 3. Hire calendargirl as hostess. Uske haath main beer pakda do. Put her on airplane in skimpy costume, and voila, $$$$
I wouldn’t judge KF by the slogans. KF is a pretty efficient airline, second only to Jet, and far better than the other budget airlines like Deccan/Spice/GoAir. It is often cheaper than Jet and Indian but I don’t think it covers as many routes. There’s a clear price-reliability tradeoff in Indian airlines, and you just need to figure out what premium you place on the amount of time you have to wait at the airport for your flight to take off.
ak, what did he have to say about homosexuals? That seems out of character for him, but maybe he felt his swaggering masculinity was threatened or something?
Tambram, I found Jet’s stewardesses classier than KF’s tarted up versions. As for (3), it might be true, but ’tis a sad state of affairs indeed. But lagers suck in general, and most beers in tropical countries are lagers, so not much hope there. I haven’t had feni ever, want to try it on my next trip.
Are people really going to fly Kingfisher “Good Times†Airlines to go to and from the Desh?
You bet, I will.
Vijay Mallya is a very astute businessman.
Yahoo!! But they said something similar about Jet Airways. We were waiting to fly on Jet. My kids absolutely love the breakfast they serve between Bombay–Bangalore :-). So much more nicer after flying NWA 😉 across the seven seas.
the question was actually neutral – he was asked what he thought of homosexuality, and he sort of made this face and said yuck, or something to that effect. the question wasn’t loaded, or qualified, or questioning his sexuality, so i was quite surprised by his reaction.
About Hooters Air…
How many men in those sports teams are married or in committed relationships?
It would help if the media and corporations/companies like airlines of all things would encourage partners to be be chaste and faithful to their significant others. What is the need to tempt the eye to roam by requiring your employees to wear short-shorts and tight T’s?
I’m not a Muslim but the prophet Muhammed adviced men to not look twice upon a passing woman once your eyes have roamed towards her the first time in a lustful manner. I think this was good advice in keeping with the ideals of chastity and faithfulness to one’s spouse which are valued in Islam and other religions.
Although I’m not a promoter of covering one’s body extensively as with veils, burkhas, chador, etc, still, I’m against the idea of it being a requirement to wear revealing attire on the job, such as the one described above, as well as the bikinis required of professional female volley ball players (they are required by the laws of that game to actually wear very revealing bathing suits or very short shorts and T’s — regular shorts and baggy T’s are not allowed – can you believe that??? And this is supposed to be the world of “professional” sports!).
The outside world is tempting and competitive enough. We don’t need major corporations encouraging men to lust after women other than their own partners! This goes for women as well but I’ve yet to hear of a “family” restaurant or airline titled “HUNG” where the waiters are wearing tight speedos to show off their genital size to the patrons.
“There is no harm in looking” – agreed. But shouldn’t a society value and promote fidelity and satisfaction in the home? And if a society does indeed value that – wouldn’t the sexualization of professional jobs not even exist?
It’s like saying, “go ahead married men! it’s alright to lust after women other than your own wife”.
Although I’m not a Christian, Jesus said that he who has lusted after a woman in his mind has also committed a type of sin, or something like that. I don’t think he meant it to condemn that person, but to show us the power of mind over body, or the power of mind over action.
Jet ran into trouble because I think JetBlue complained that the names would create confusion in the marketplace. Also, I heard that JetBlue alleged that some of Jet’s funding, which came from businessmen in the middle east, might be tainted. I am not sure I am correct on the details of the second part, though.
Well, neutral or not, his reaction seems pretty immature. I guess the only acceptable bon vivant behaviors are the ones permitted by God.
Surely, what I want is a fun, safe airline that employs both John McClane and Dr. Rumack. Yippee-ki-yay!
What did you say, Amardeep? I shouldn’t call you Shirley?
That’s probably because you are a chaste and loyal man who is in love with and attracted to his wife and does not need any distractions to divert your attention away from her. We need more men like you.
(Is Kingfisher also requiring it’s female staff to wear skimpy outfits? Has Hooter’s faired well in India? I read something last year like they were going to open up restaurants over there).
I can just imagine what sort of “demographic” that would be. I’d be willing to fly it if it’s prices are good, and also just the novelty of finding out what sort of “demographic” travels on it.
As Rahul said, Maalya is known as Branson of India and I think he does takes inspiration from him . I have traveled in both KF and Virgin airlines and both are very similar. While traveling in India, its always a big difficult for me to choose between Jet and KF. KF has the hottest air hostesses and Jet has the best food! But somehow I end up choosing Jet more often then KF, I guess I have my priorities all messed up 🙁
Yeah I heard JetBlue alleged that Jet is getting funding from terrorists (Dawood Ibrahim) and it more or less barred them . They were planning to contract with an American company so that they can fly upto England as Jet, and later on trans Atlantic flight,change the airline name to an American one. Desi and water, always finds its way :).
Will I be able to have a mile-high Scotch?
Luring air travellers with flight attendant hotness is so 1960s. I mean c’mon!!!
Good airline is the one with, good on-time performance , helpful ground staff and competant pilot (who are not drunk 🙂 )
Gentlemen,
I think what I forgot to point out is the fact that people going to and from India tend to be mostly families, often families with kids. Also plenty of grandparents going to and from their adult children’s places. The vibe is often very conservative & nostalgic…
Either this is a new market (single people, mainly men) he’s chasing, or he’s kind of taking a risk.
Then again, if he’s mainly aiming for something analogous to Virgin Atlantic, it should work (especially if they have personal entertainment/video centers throughout the plane — Air India is probably DECADES away from installing those!).
Does it have any air hosts? How are they?
Exactly. A father or mother’s top priority when travelling is safety for their kids.
Grandparents need not be bothered with the looks of the air-staff, unless they are widowed/divorced.
One wonders again what demographic he is catering too.
As a semi-single young woman, I wouldn’t mind some male eye candy while travelling. But I’m not married so my oooogling could not be counted as “visual cheating” or “mental infidelity”.
Otherwise, for married men and women, do any of you really care what the air staff looks like on your trips?
Its actually not racy or anything. There are pretty air hostesses but they were not wearing anything ultra revealing (just chic!) and I didn’t find the ambiance to be offensive to the conservative gentry, but may be (just may be)some people can get uncomfortable in traveling in an Airline named after a liquor.
Amardeep, don’t be narrow minded about happenings related to airplanes. Maybe nostalgia really means a yearning for the days of Helen?
Sorry no clue :D. But this made me thinking, if I was a executive there, I would propose a “Ladies compartment” ala Railways, can generate some serious revenue for airline and employment for struggling male models !
So are u like allowed to semi mingle?
That’s because airline owners are laughing their sick f*cking ass off. They are tightasses! They are sadists! They are absentee landlords!
As a semi-single young woman,
I’m allowed to gaze admiringly and not be labelled dis-loyal or caulous.
Size X woman in size X dress = hot Size X woman in ultra-short size (X-4) dress = KF stewardess And they didn’t look very happy.
Of course, I’m extrapolating from my sample size of 3.
w.r.t to Jet airline flying to the US, the beef wasn’t with Jetblue — but an airline registered as Jet Airways in the U.S.. That airline didn’t own any planes though. Jet will be flying to Newark this summer.
A little research and presto! Jet will be flying from Newark starting August 5. Fares to Bangalore were 1309 for August. I just paid 2000 for my son to fly to India to see the grandparents!!!!!!
cross branson and bappi lahri and you get mallya.
geezers could use eye-candy, kids will have role models to ape and to cut down their obesity! and you bet ralph fiennes will have a frequent flyer card.
though why do people fly air-india still? my one and only time.. a bellyslapped victim of an air-india mostess…it hurt!
Amardeep, I flew Kingfisher about a year and a half ago and the service was professional and frankly, much better than any domestic service in the US. Personally, I think the whole hot ‘air-hostess’ sales pitch is unnecessary and I’m not sure what kind of impact it has. Kingfisher offers service levels comparable to Jet, ususally at less than half the price (KF prices itself between the budget airlines and Jet/IA) and at the end of the day that will be the decisive factor (either way).
Not sure why there is so much skepticism about the safety/efficiency of the airline (because of the marketing messsage?). Regarding the Hooters comparison, were there safety issues with that airline?
Bottomline: If you are travelling in India, I would recommend Kingfisher if it suits your itinerary.
VG,
For once I can agree with you 🙂 I am totally uncomfortable with the idea that women need to dress provocatively as a job requirement.But of course that makes a grand total of 2 of us so far who feel that way 🙂 Recently Air India (n?) female flight attendants lost a suit they had filed against “weight discrmination” .Evidently, they could be grounded if their weight crossed some “unacceptable” threshold. Until a few years ago , female flight attendants were grounded once they reached a certain age or got married ! They had to go to court to get that archaic policy overturned.
I am sure it was purely for flight safety, just like checked in luggage.
Runa, personally, I don’t care how these stewardesses dress as long as their service is efficient and courteous. Jet is superlative on that count, KF is not bad, but the only reason I’d pick it is that it offers reliable flights at a lower price than Jet/Indian, and it is the only airline in that niche right now.
I’ve flown Air India only once, but was completely put off by their bad attitude to everybody from 10 year old kids to 75 year old grandparents.
If it has non-stop flights to Delhi, I would definitely consider it as an option. As of now, only Continental has one from Newark, NJ to Delhi but the price is a bit steep it seems. Good food would be an added consideration, albeit not a necessity (assuming the price is reasonable). As for air hostesses, a bit of eye-candy isn’t a bad idea, is it? But then, I would much rather prefer an Aunty-ji who would happily offer me some more chicken, as opposed to some slick, mean corporate-type hostess.
You can bet your last penny that Mallya would know what his market is. Thus if in the international route he sees that the market is more conservative, viola – you will have a service catered exactly to that market. My guess is in India at the time that Kingfisher entered, a lot of the market was urban yuppy business travelers which still is predominantly men and a lot of them under 40. Thus positioning themselves as they did definitely has worked for them to get a brand going and capture market share. Now if the current market demography does change (which I think it is) I wont be surprised that Kingfisher may tone down it’s hotness quotient.
From what little I know, Kingfisher was not a low cost airline initially. Recent acquisitions (Air Deccan) and expected acquisitions/ stakes (Spice Jet) have tried to fix that and clearly outlined Mallaya’s plan of catering to every price point in the industry. This is also ensuring less players in the market and thus the race to lower cost will reduce and allow Kingfisher and other airlines to actually start selling tickets without taking a loss. Plus, the the Indian aviation industry is rapidly expanding and even if Kingfisher was not the best in a certain segment, there is plenty of pie to go around. While it has been said for sometime, I think Kingfisher is not too far away from turning profitable.
Runa, it used to be this way in the U.S., also. Not to justify things, but saying maybe there’s a time lag.
I, too, was under the impression that KF ~ VA. Have not flown, KF, though, so couldn’t comment in any educated manner.
aww c’mon Rahul – those women are hot and if I had to choose between one less packet of moongfalli and gorgeous lady in skimpy red, it’s an easy choice dude!
whats a semi single woman?
Maybe it’s the .58 of a child left over?
Really? I find the whole thing pretty horrifying.But that’s just my personal opinion. (I also don’t see any empowerment in stripping /being a Playboy bunny/Hooter’s girl etc but I may hopelessly out of step with the times.)
Anyway I do not want to threadjack :Mallya -whatever his pecadilloes- strikes me as being a savvy business man who has grown the Kingfisher brand tremendously so it will be interesting to see how Kingfisher Air does here in the US
aha, that means it’s the 0.58 of a couple which has 1.58 people in it. No offense VG, I blame this mindless chatter on the beer!
Let’s not forget Kingfisher’s awesome/pugnacious advertising.
I think the Jet Airways flights are due to go via Brussels, at least that was the plan before, when they got embroiled in the lawsuit.
Haven’t flown Kingfisher yet, but I was amazed at the quality of Jet Airways on a 90-minute flight to Bombay.
They carried my luggage from practically the moment I walked into the departure terminal, some 18-year-old male flight attendant put my carry-on in the overhead compartment (and yes, ladies, he was quite nice looking, though not wearing any particularly revealing uniform), and they served a very decent hot lunch with a cloth napkin and a dessert that was one of these little chocolate cakes that have melting chocolate in the centre (this is airplane food?!?).
Moreover, you know how they love to close the gates here in the US ages before a flight departs? I was late getting to the airport ‘cos of traffic, and when I arrived I asked if I’d still make the Bombay flight, they said “Sure, no worries.” (Meanwhile an earlier flight to Delhi was still accepting passengers too!)
The only spanner in the works was when they came around and offered us buttermilk (er, what?) or fruit juice, then dropped the bomb of “No alcohol will be served on this flight.” I almost fell over. No alcohol??? What am I supposed to knock back when we hit turbulence??? (I was told later that this is a rule on all internal flights. Remind me to bring my own the next time, in 3oz bottles of course….)
Interesting thing though, in reading airline reviews at some online site, I saw quite a few complaints about Jet’s service on their flights to London…and I seem to remember someone saying that they discovered the economy seats in Jet don’t have life vests under them (only the business class seats do), and they expect the C-class passengers to use the seat cushions as flotation devices.
On the subject of hot air hostesses, one trend I’ve noticed in the last month on Indian TV is the appearance of, not one, but two flight attendant schools to train girls so they can be hired by airlines. One even says they will give you 50% of your fees back if you don’t get hired.
Guess there’s quite a market there…
Kingfisher started the whole getting someone to help you with your luggage when you walk into the airport thing, and that’s why I like them – has Jet followed suit? Good. I think the Kingfisher short-red-skirt nonsense is silly but it is not really that far out of the norm for most desis (especially male business customers, who form the majority) to think of “air hostesses” as primarily eye candy.
As for the weight and attractiveness issue for flight attendants, I agree that courtesy and efficiency count for a lot more, and actually the culture of seeing “air hostesses,” particularly for international carriers, as the equivalent of models at 36,000 feet among desis leads to pretty bad service – it’s changing now, but up till about five years ago the desi stewardesses on BA etc had the worst attitude and thought they were too precious to do their jobs. The attendants on Air India have a similar snotty bad attitude, whether or not they are young or attractive, and I’ve been shocked at how condescending and obnoxious they can be to anyone they see as not quite upper class, particularly first-time flyers. That, and not the weight issue, is why they should be able to fire them.
Oh and P.S. Amardeep – Kingfisher has been around for some years and hasn’t popped out of nowhere with a novelty concept, so I wouldn’t be so concerned if I were you. The only thing to check up on with these airlines is flight safety and maintenance, an uncle who used to be a pilot once mentioned that Sahara were criminally negligent in this regard, and they’ve gone out of business thank god, but I don’t think Kingfisher had serious problems.
Has anyone come across a stewardess on Singapore Airlines who didn’t have the almost perfect hour glass figure? This is prevalent everywhere, obviously a relic of an era gone by. I haven’t seen too many newscasters on TV (anywhere) who aren’t attractive. There is the odd Greta Van Susteren, pretty much the exception. Not unique to the (Indian) aviation industry.
48 “Has anyone come across a stewardess on Singapore Airlines who didn’t have the almost perfect hour glass figure? This is prevalent everywhere, obviously a relic of an era gone by.”
The US is an exception, and so are some of the European airlines. Their flight attendants are not all pretty or young. I give the the US aviation industry credit for having supported, or more likely succumbed to, the equal opportunity laws as they apply to physical appearance.
But your point about a relic is well taken. Why does flying still conjure images of pretty, nubile minions ministering to a man’s every whim? Why is the “Coffee, Tea or Me” syndrome still associated with flying? In the olden days, and I am somewhat an expert, flying was certainly a glamorous undertaking reserved for the well-to-do and flight attendants were called air hostesses. Today, the appropriately named Airbus is nothing but a bus in the sky and as affordable by the masses as Greyhound. In fact it is often cheaper than taking the Greyhound long distance, specially if you add the cost of eating on the road for 24 hours. (Did that a couple of times in the seventies as a college student and still saved money because flying was so expensive back then.)
India, however, is a different story, and Vijay Mallya’s highly retro aviation marketing campaign is not entirely misplaced. In India, flying is still an aspirational “product,” and except for very few heavily discounted routes such as Delhi-Mumbai, still a luxury for even the small upper middle class and just a dream for the vast middle class. The roundtrip fares range from Rs.5,000 to Rs.10,000. That’s well over 25% of the average monthly income of an urban middle class household. Sit at an airport terminal in India and see who is flying – the rich or well-paid corporate employees on business.
One’s personal tastes and moral standards aside, the “Coffee, Tea or Me” marketing is still relevant in India just as it was in the west 30 years ago. I am speaking as a marketing guy. Personally, I will have a problem flying Kingfisher with your auntie unless I keep my nose buried in Times of India.
Well, maybe I choose differently because the way to my heart is through…