Jet Airways is one of the full-service providers of the Indian aviation industry, including Air India and recently-launched Vistara. However, unlike competitors, Jet Airways also operated as an economical carrier under the brand name JetKonnect. This service was launched to cater to a specific market in which travellers are willing to pay a little extra than Economy Class tickets for increased services, whereas avoid paying as high as Business Class. The chairman of Jet Airways acquired JetLite from the Sahara Group and changed the name under re-branding process. Earlier, these new services aimed at empowering common people of the the country; hence, the cost of Jet Konnect flight was comparatively low. However, with the passage of time and change in the demand for air travel, it started providing premium economy services. The parent company has recently opted for single branding strategy, under which the operations of this subsidiary will also be equivalent to full-fledged services.
History
This airline was originally set up by the Sahara India Pariwar as Sahara Airlines in 1991, and it commenced operations in 1993 with Boeing 737-200s. With Delhi being its primary hub, initially most of the destinations lying in the northern part of the country were added in the booking list. Gradually, these services were extended to other parts of the country as well, and in the year 2000, it underwent rebranding that changed its name to Air Sahara. Later, in the year 2004, international operations were started with Chennai to Colombo flights. The flight booking offers were extended to Maldives, London and Singapore. However, in the year 2007, the Indian aviation market witnessed a hit and took a dip of around 3.5 per cent. It was then sold to the Jet Airways for around $340 million after the approval of the Indian Civil Aviation ministry. The takeover was completed in April of the same year, when the new owner decided to rebrand it once again, and the name JetLite was given to it.
Current Status
Jet Airways recently announced its plans of the single branding, which will end the existence of JeKonnect or JetLite. As per industry experts, this decision has been taken by the airline to deal with the challenges that are coming with Vistara. The carrier will be operating in the Air Operator Permit (AOP) given to JetLite, but the aircraft as well as crew will undergo face change. New uniforms have been introduced, soon to be followed by changes in the seating infrastructure. In addition to this, all the flights operated by this company now include complimentary meal services. Analysts are of the opinion that this will bring consistency in the performance of the carrier. In addition to this, travellers will not get confused regarding the operator specifications.
As per reports, when JetKonnect was launched, it covered over 60 per cent of the total operations on domestic routes. This vital change is a part of the turnaround plan of the carrier, expected to end in 2018. Apart from the face change, the plan also includes fleet review, launch of new flights in lucrative markets like China and Europe along with debt restructuring. The Chairman said that new strategies are being implied to retain profitable in this challenging and dynamic market. The objective is to establish it as the leading carrier in the coming years.
Martin Wynn
