In past, aviation sector was a government monopoly in India. Air India used to fly on international routes and Indian Airlines did the domestic sector. Now private airlines have been given approval and Jet Airways and Air Sahara were first to enter the Indian skies. They cost more than the no frills Air Deccan, but offer a lot of frills on board. Another low cost airline is about to enter the Indian skies. It is Kingfisher Airline.The Indian skies are becoming merrier.
I traveled with Jet Airways from Chennai to Coimbatore in April, 2004. It is a short flight, less than an hour’s duration. Actually, I was traveling from New Delhi but did not get a direct flight on Air Sahara to Coimbatore. So I traveled from New Delhi to Chennai on Air Sahara and then completed the rest of the journey on Jet Airways. I guess this combination gave us the lowest fares for the trip.
The Check In: I had plenty of time between the two flights in Chennai, so check in was a pretty simple affair for me. I was traveling with just one carryon bag and had nothing to book through. The lady at the counter was pleasant and got me through with minimum fuss. I was asked for a choice of a seat and I asked for a window seat. The boarding again was a simple affair. The flight was not packed so the wait was not long. They offer a complementary box of toffees t the time of check in.
The Plane: Chennai to Coimbatore is a short distance with not too many passengers traveling, at least on weekdays. So the plane was a smaller one, the kind that takes turbulence badly. Luckily, onward journey we did not hit rough weather. There is a choice of many music channels on flight. The plane was clean and air conditioning adequate. The leg room was standard for economy class. It is much more spacious than what Air Deccan offers on its aircrafts (Air Deccan has just one class, economy). The plane took-off on time.
The return flight hit bad weather and the plane bumped like crazy. At one point the cabin crew had to abandon the efforts to serve the food and they had to take seats. My husband (we were traveling back together) gets nausea very easily and was feeling very shaky. A member of the crew tried to chat with him and make him comfortable. But he was past it. The crew member told us that we were really safe and it is just like a roller coaster! I had to tell him my husband hates roller coasters but we know we are safe and I thanked him for his effort. I really appreciated his concern.
The Food: Even on this short flight the cabin crew managed to serve us a snack with a choice of non-alcoholic beverages without making it seem too rushed. Jet Airways has the same caterers as their competitor Air Sahara. Both hire the best, Taj-SATS, a venture between the Tata group and Singapore Airline Terminal Services. So food is good on Jet Airways with offers to refill your coffee or tea.
The cabin crew is polite and attentive and Jet has gone for a western looks in contrast to Air Sahara’s Indian one. I found Sahara’s crew much more focused than Jet’s. My guess is that in going for the casual look and feel, some (very little, in fact) amount of casualness entered their service also. One had to make an effort to catch their eye, where as on Sahara flight I found it easier to get attention from the members of the cabin crew. Still, Jet Airways is a professional airline and does its job thoroughly.
The Arrival: The flight arrived on time both ways and checking out was a breeze for me as I had no booked luggage.
Overall, Jet Airways is a professional airline and offers a lot of frills on flight. In fact there is not much of a difference between Jet and its main competitor Air Sahara. For me the difference was in perception of service and I found Air Sahara’s crew a bit more attentive and would prefer them over Jet is the price of the ticket is the same.
But after Air Deccan entered the Indian skies as a low cost airline I know I am not going to fly either Air Sahara or Jet Airways. To me the price differentials are substantial and for three to four hours I am willing to sit in a cramped plane and buy whatever they offer rather than pay twice the amount in fare.