Warning : Long review
I remember when I first started flying Jet Airways in the late 90's, the attraction of the airline was such that few months' down the line all my travel became Hobson's choice really. Did Jet fly to my destination (if not I'd go hopping to my destination or worse, not go at all) and if I was not getting a seat on Jet, I'd rather change my date than fly Indian Airlines (IC). The whole Jet experience was such a refreshing change from Indian Airlines with its smelly aircrafts, old frowning matrons for stewardesses, cold food, etc that one could not help but thank the new aviation policy which made it all possible.
This habit and loyalty continued for a few more years before India's ever liberalizing open skies policy permitted every business house (and politician) to launch its own airline. The price of loyalty to Jet seemed to go up with every quarter when late entrants to the game would go on slashing their fares and Jet steadfastly stood by their (relatively higher) fares. I tried to remain loyal as far as I could before giving away some business to newer airlines. Jet's frequent flyer program (Jet Privilege) started off the loyalty program business in India and I would still rate it the best mileage program amongst all Indian airlines today. Not only is mileage accrual quite generous, getting partner miles (they have a host of hotel, airlines, shopping store partners) is hassle-free and most importantly, they do have redemption seats available for your preferred dates if you book atleast 10 days in advance (unlike most airlines)!
The airline floundered for sometime but good days came back when Jet Airways was allowed to go international much to the consternation of Air India (AI) and Indian Airlines. As a consumer, I welcomed the choice and since then have seen Jet Airways become India's national airline in every sense but the official. Even bureaucrats and politicians started flying Jet Airways over good old AI and IC.
Coming to the present, while the airline has clearly lost a lot of the sheen of its early days, there is no denying that it deserves to be ranked amongst the better airlines in Asia.
What's going for the airline :
1. Young fleet of new and well-maintained aircraft.
2. The crew is by and large friendly, smiling and efficient especially on the India-Europe legs where more experienced crew is deployed.
3. The food and beverage quality is excellent. Not only are the proportions ideal for the journey times, they taste good too (I strongly believe microwave heating on aircrafts destroys the flavour of most meals). On the India-Europe route, they have a couple of rounds of meal service ; the first being a proper meal and second being light snacks (sandwiches, rolls etc) with beverages.
4. Inflight entertainment system is good and has a wide selection of Hindi and English movies though there is a relatively limited selection of movies in foreign languages.
5. Inflight shopping is quite good compared to other carriers and choice of alcohol along with its pricing is impressive (definitely cheaper than lot of duty free shops in Asia and Europe).
6. Jet Wings - the inflight magazine is a must-read for all visitors to India.
7. Passengers to London Heathrow are advised to take advantage of the 'Fast Track' immigration if they can.
8. Attractively priced fares which tread the fine line between Jet's elitist image in the domestic market and yet do not cater to the budget airline segment.
9. The business class seats convertible to fully flat beds are comfortable (I'am personally not a fan of the herringbone layout). What I'am a fan of though are the Bvlgari toiletries kits which come complimentary to business and first class passengers.
10. The airline website is easy to navigate and is loaded with information on airline partners, et al.
What can do with some help :
1. Check-in process is quite inefficient at Jet Airways' Indian terminals. Even when the business class check-in counters are empty, they do not check in economy class passengers which is wasteful.
2. Passengers with only hand baggage are advised to check-in online and print their boarding pass to avoid the long check-in queue at Indian airports.
3. Overhead cabins are quite small (the smallest I have seen in any international airline) and one has to forcefully fit in a standard hand-carry strolley.
4. The angle of overhead reading lights cannot be changed. So if you recline in your chair, you are going to find it tough reading under the light.
5. Economy class seats are quite narrow on the Airbus 330 flying the India-Asia route. The Boeing 777 plying on the India-Europe route is far more comfortable and thankfully so, considering the longer flying time.
Overall rating : 7/10. If you are looking to fly anywhere between Asia and Europe / USA, definitely consider flying Jet Airways. Their European hub is Brussels from where they have arranged for easy connectivity to continental Europe by flight and train. You can buy the partner airline/ Thalys train ticket as one consolidated ticket when you book.
I remember when I first started flying Jet Airways in the late 90's, the attraction of the airline was such that few months' down the line all my travel became Hobson's choice really. Did Jet fly to my destination (if not I'd go hopping to my destination or worse, not go at all) and if I was not getting a seat on Jet, I'd rather change my date than fly Indian Airlines (IC). The whole Jet experience was such a refreshing change from Indian Airlines with its smelly aircrafts, old frowning matrons for stewardesses, cold food, etc that one could not help but thank the new aviation policy which made it all possible.
This habit and loyalty continued for a few more years before India's ever liberalizing open skies policy permitted every business house (and politician) to launch its own airline. The price of loyalty to Jet seemed to go up with every quarter when late entrants to the game would go on slashing their fares and Jet steadfastly stood by their (relatively higher) fares. I tried to remain loyal as far as I could before giving away some business to newer airlines. Jet's frequent flyer program (Jet Privilege) started off the loyalty program business in India and I would still rate it the best mileage program amongst all Indian airlines today. Not only is mileage accrual quite generous, getting partner miles (they have a host of hotel, airlines, shopping store partners) is hassle-free and most importantly, they do have redemption seats available for your preferred dates if you book atleast 10 days in advance (unlike most airlines)!
The airline floundered for sometime but good days came back when Jet Airways was allowed to go international much to the consternation of Air India (AI) and Indian Airlines. As a consumer, I welcomed the choice and since then have seen Jet Airways become India's national airline in every sense but the official. Even bureaucrats and politicians started flying Jet Airways over good old AI and IC.
Coming to the present, while the airline has clearly lost a lot of the sheen of its early days, there is no denying that it deserves to be ranked amongst the better airlines in Asia.
What's going for the airline :
1. Young fleet of new and well-maintained aircraft.
2. The crew is by and large friendly, smiling and efficient especially on the India-Europe legs where more experienced crew is deployed.
3. The food and beverage quality is excellent. Not only are the proportions ideal for the journey times, they taste good too (I strongly believe microwave heating on aircrafts destroys the flavour of most meals). On the India-Europe route, they have a couple of rounds of meal service ; the first being a proper meal and second being light snacks (sandwiches, rolls etc) with beverages.
4. Inflight entertainment system is good and has a wide selection of Hindi and English movies though there is a relatively limited selection of movies in foreign languages.
5. Inflight shopping is quite good compared to other carriers and choice of alcohol along with its pricing is impressive (definitely cheaper than lot of duty free shops in Asia and Europe).
6. Jet Wings - the inflight magazine is a must-read for all visitors to India.
7. Passengers to London Heathrow are advised to take advantage of the 'Fast Track' immigration if they can.
8. Attractively priced fares which tread the fine line between Jet's elitist image in the domestic market and yet do not cater to the budget airline segment.
9. The business class seats convertible to fully flat beds are comfortable (I'am personally not a fan of the herringbone layout). What I'am a fan of though are the Bvlgari toiletries kits which come complimentary to business and first class passengers.
10. The airline website is easy to navigate and is loaded with information on airline partners, et al.
What can do with some help :
1. Check-in process is quite inefficient at Jet Airways' Indian terminals. Even when the business class check-in counters are empty, they do not check in economy class passengers which is wasteful.
2. Passengers with only hand baggage are advised to check-in online and print their boarding pass to avoid the long check-in queue at Indian airports.
3. Overhead cabins are quite small (the smallest I have seen in any international airline) and one has to forcefully fit in a standard hand-carry strolley.
4. The angle of overhead reading lights cannot be changed. So if you recline in your chair, you are going to find it tough reading under the light.
5. Economy class seats are quite narrow on the Airbus 330 flying the India-Asia route. The Boeing 777 plying on the India-Europe route is far more comfortable and thankfully so, considering the longer flying time.
Overall rating : 7/10. If you are looking to fly anywhere between Asia and Europe / USA, definitely consider flying Jet Airways. Their European hub is Brussels from where they have arranged for easy connectivity to continental Europe by flight and train. You can buy the partner airline/ Thalys train ticket as one consolidated ticket when you book.
No comments:
Post a Comment