New Delhi: Tata’s Air India Group has started preparing for the long-haul low-cost challenge that rival IndiGo will increasingly mount from this year. AI Express, the Maharaja’s budget arm, has begun stitching partnerships with foreign low cost carriers (LCCs) that will allow Indian travellers to fly budget one-stop all the way to Australia, Far East and Africa.
“We have so far entered virtual interline partnerships with six LCCs, including Scoot (Singapore Airlines’ budget arm), Jazeera, VietJet and Air Arabia. At the time of check-in, passengers will get two boarding cards – one for their flight on AI Express from India to the hubs of those airlines and then from there on those airlines to onward destinations,” AI Express CEO Aloke Singh said.
Tata’s budget carrier is “testing the waters” with these initial partnerships that as of now require passengers to collect baggage and check in the same again for the connecting flights on partner airlines. “We will deepen this to make transfers seamless, including enabling passengers to through check-in baggage to their final destination,” Singh said.