Vistara Airlines, which has been operating for nearly nine years, will complete its last flight on Monday. The expansion, initiated by a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and the Tata Group, will now be merged with Tata’s Air India, creating a single service with a larger network and wider fleet.
The merger will see all expansion operations transferred to Air India. It will include help counters, ticket offices. For the past few months, the work of transferring the reservation and loyalty programs of Vistara passengers to Air India has been going on. Air India has promised to expand its services and bring its high quality services.
After much customer feedback and widespread love, Vistraa will be disbanding as a band. Fans and analysts have expressed concern over the loss of the Vistara brand, known for its service, food quality and cabin comfort.
According to Hawaii analyst Mark Martin, the decision was taken to recover the financial position damaged by the expansion merger. But it can have a negative impact on the service level.
Some major problems have also been faced during the merger process. Issues like some of Air India’s old aircraft, problems with their seats and entertainment facilities have arisen. Mistakes in personnel management have created an atmosphere of resentment among pilots and crew members.
Tatas have invested $400 million to upgrade Air India’s aging aircraft. Also, new Airbus and Boeing aircraft have been ordered. However, this “turnaround” process still has many challenges, Martin said.
Passengers at the airport are likely to get used to seeing the expansion work under the Air India banner. Many experts also say that passengers will have to adapt to a new brand. Expansion’s agile workforce may challenge Air India’s slowness in management processes. This combined brand will have to make a big effort to provide uniform service to passengers.
However, the Tata Group’s decision to end expansion is aimed at providing a wider and stronger air service in India. It is believed that Vistara and Air India will be able to come together and challenge other major airlines in the market.
How Air India fills the void created by the merger process among India’s premium and full- service brands remains to be seen.