Alex McWhirter looks at how new services can benefit business travellers
London-Delhi
Kingfisher’s arrival on the London-Delhi route has turned this sector into one of the most competitive Asian links.
The privately owned carrier (part of India’s United Breweries Group) has a fine reputation for service both internationally and on its numerous domestic routes. Kingfisher will put pressure on its four immediate rivals – British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Jet Airways and Air India – to maintain standards and to price keenly.
But that’s not all. These five direct-flight airlines are up against numerous indirect carriers plying London and the UK regions to Delhi via the likes of Amsterdam, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt and Istanbul.
All the direct airlines, with the exception of Air India, provide fully-flat beds in business class. Only BA and Virgin Atlantic offer a premium economy cabin, and only BA and Air India offer first class at present.
What Kingfisher offers
There is a daily flight operated by an Airbus 330 configured with 30 seats in business class and 187 seats in economy class. Flight IT1 leaves Delhi at 1320 and arrives into London Heathrow T4 at 1810. Return service IT2 departs Heathrow at 2105 to reach Delhi the next morning at 1020.
The carrier’s business seats are upholstered in red leather and configured six-across (2-2-2) with 78 inches (198cm) of legroom. The in-flight entertainment screen is 17 inches across and there’s a bar in the business zone with a decent seating area. Economy class adopts the standard eight-across 2-4-2 layout.
In Delhi, Kingfisher passengers can connect to more than 60 domestic destinations. In London, the carrier works with BA and Bmi for links to domestic and EU airports. Connection opportunities in the UK will improve should Kingfisher join the Oneworld alliance as planned next year.
The competition
BA is the most powerful on the route with a four-class B777-200 service. It flies twice daily. BA scores with its unparalleled range of connections beyond Heathrow to both short- and long-haul destinations.
During the summer months India’s Jet Airways will replace its usual B777-300ER plane with a smaller A330 on some or all flights. Double-check the plane type when booking as the A330 has no first class accommodation. It operates daily in a business and economy layout, with a 30-seat business cabin (configured 1-1-1) in a herringbone layout.
Like Kingfisher, Jet scores with its range of domestic links.
Virgin flies daily with a three-class A340-300. Its Upper Class (business) also features a herringbone (1-1-1) layout but it can’t offer the same range of connections as its rivals.
Being a prospective member of Star Alliance has prompted national airline Air India to pull up its socks. Older B747 planes with substandard products are being retired in favour of newer craft with more up-to-date interiors. Domestic connections are another selling point.
Air India serves the London route ten times a week with B777s. Most flights are operated by B777-200LRs (the long-range version of the B777) but a few flights are rostered for larger B777-300ERs. Both B777 types are three-class with fully-flat beds in first class. But, unlike its rivals, Air India’s business class cabin features angled lie-flat seats which are disposed seven-across (2-3-2).
Air India’s joining date for Star Alliance has been postponed until the various links between it and the other Star members can be put into place. No date has yet been finalised.
Prices
These vary enormously depending on the airline and routing. But during June, online agent opodo.co.uk had these prices for the five direct carriers:
? Economy: £372 to £482
? Premium economy: £752 to £773
? Business: £1,682 to £1,752
? First: British Airways £6,469, Air India £3,306 when booked at airindia.com.
Indirect flights to Delhi with the likes of Emirates, Gulf Air, KLM, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines will be cheaper still. For these carriers, opodo.co.uk quotes £336 to £439 for economy class and £1,311 to £1,531 for business class. Good rates for first class are limited but Emirates has an attractive £2,384 fare on Opodo.
