BANGALORE: Kingfisher Airlines is positioning its inaugural international link between Bangalore and London as a premium service, as it takes on British Airways, its main rival on the route.
The airline will launch daily flights between India’s tech hub and the British capital starting September 3, the second carrier to do so after the UK’s national airline.
Kingfisher is pricing its round trip for economy-class travellers at Rs 43,520 compared to British Airways’ Rs 43,875. A round trip in the Kingfisher First Class will cost Rs 1,61,800 and an official of the Bangalore-based carrier said it was pricier than the average Rs 1.4 lakh charged by British Airways.
However, travel industry sources put BA’s going rate for its business-class tickets at Rs 1,64,750, even though a fare cut by the carrier to counter competition from Kingfisher is seen as a possibility. At the time of going to press, it was not possible to obtain a comment from British Airways.
Travel industry sources also said that nearly two-thirds of the British carrier’s passengers stop over in London en route to other destinations. Kingfisher is expected to announce in a few days alliances with international carriers so that its passengers to London can link up for onward travel.
As Kingfisher spreads wings internationally, a non-stop flight from Bangalore to San Francisco on the US west coast is also on the cards.
Kingfisher says first-class passengers on its Airbus A330-220 link between Bangalore and London can expect, among other things, an in-seat massager, five-course meals, a social area with a bar and even a spectacle-cleaning service!
The flight from Bangalore will leave at 8.40 am and arrive at London Heathrow’s Terminal 4 at 2.50 pm, local time. The return flight will depart Heathrow at 10.05 pm and arrive in Bangalore the next day at 12.35 pm, local time.
UB group chairman Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines bought out low-cost carrier Deccan last year to earn the right to fly abroad. Carriers with less than five years of domestic service cannot fly overseas and Deccan completes five years at the end of this month. Bangalore will be the hub for Kingfisher’s wide-bodied aircrafts and international operations.
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