Hello 6E!

If that sounds like anything but an airline code, I would not blame you. But truth be told 6E is a sexy airline to fly. Okay, don’t get ideas here. They are professional, fun to fly with and honestly trying to get you to your destination in time, that is all!

I haven’t flown much of Indigo this year, because I thought I was going to fly Jet Airways as much as I could. But with Jet chipping away member benefits of their frequent flyer program one by one, I saw reason to diversify.

This has only been my third flight with Indigo this year, but I have another three segments booked up in the upcoming month, like I shared in my post before.

Coming back to why I love flying Indigo. They have created this very cool positioning around their brand, full of fun and whack, which is reflected amply before you fly and while you fly.

 

Hello 6E! 😉

 

The meal in a matchbox!

And yes,  let us not forget that the journey is the reward (cheesy placement!). So, with this entire fun experience, they are adding to the joy of flying. But they don’t want to take away the primary reason, getting you to your destination on time. Again, they serve it to you in dollops with their tongue in cheek advertising!

On Time Performance is their key USPs (yes, USP!)

I have flown all the carriers in India except Paramount which was a flash in the pan for a short while. I can safely vouch for their zeal to deliver on-time performance and a professional flying experience. Every time I have flown with them in India, they have gotten me to where I wanted to go, in time!

In January, I was supposed to make a trip from Pune (PNQ) to Delhi (DEL) and I booked on Indigo. However, later it turned out that my destination changed from Delhi to Bhubaneshwar (BBI), this at T-1 of flying day. I was accompanying my mother who had recently undergone a surgery, and needed assistance. We had two options, either to cancel PNQ-DEL and drive to Mumbai and take BOM-BBI on Kingfisher, or to make the PNQ-DEL and then catch another flight DEL-BBI on Indigo again.

For the regulars at Delhi, I am sure you all know about the fog issue which Delhi and all North Indian airports face in December and January every year. Visibility goes Zero and ones without CAT III can forget landing or take off. I was once stranded in Delhi for a whole 24 hours thanks to Indian Airlines and the fog.

However, my bets were on Indigo rather than Kingfisher.Kingfisher’s record with medical pax is not to great according to me and they just try and wash their hands off in the first instance if they could. So, I was betting my money on Indigo landing in a fog engulfed DEL on time, and 4 hours later, taking off to BBI on time. Indigo being a point-to-point carrier, was not selling connections. So, if one flight was delayed, there was no responsibility from their side to put you on the DEL-BBI.

And they did not disappoint me at all. The crew at PNQ was very professional, got me to sign off the appropriate forms to relieve them of responsibility before taking charge. We made it to Delhi much in time for our next flight, and the next flight took off in time too, while most flight ops were being resched around us.

They played the on-time plank one more time when they put out this quirky advertisement on the TV:

The joy of flying Indigo does not just end here. Their dealings are reasonable and professional. On this above-mentioned PNQ-DEL-BBI routing, I was not charged for a wheel-chair assistance for the mom. Other airlines charge.

On my flight this weekend BOM-DEL, the in-flight crew was not hawking their food in a garish way like in other LCCs in India. I usually don’t pick a meal on my LCC segments but here I was really hungry. I was explained in a very professional manner that the meal is served at room temperature before I nodded my head in agreement. Haven’t seen that before!

So, hats off to you Indigo. You are cool, calculative, and you get the job done. Keep it up!

Now I need to try your international services sometime soon!

 

 

 

 

PS: One grudge, and just one only! They don’t have a frequent flier program!

About Ajay

Ajay Awtaney is the Founder and Editor of Live From A Lounge (LFAL), a pioneering digital platform renowned for publishing news and views about aviation, hotels, passenger experience, loyalty programs, travel trends and frequent travel tips for the Global Indian. He is considered the Indian authority on business travel, luxury travel, frequent flyer miles, loyalty credit cards and travel for Indians around the globe. Ajay is a frequent contributor and commentator on the media as well, including ET Now, BBC, CNBC TV18, NDTV, Conde Nast Traveller and many other outlets.

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Comments

  1. I endorse the view which are expressed so well. I have flown IndiGo some times and could not agree more with the way they carry out small things. Even things as small as inflight announcements are virtual treat to the ears. of course the big picture of ontime, and service, neat and clean planes and more importantly overall experience is funtastic.

    we finally have something to rely on in India which is consistent.

    Priya

  2. Sounds like B6 here in the US. JBLU always provides a comfortable experience, often “forgets” to charge baggage, extra snack, headphone, and other fees. They have coomfortably flown my grandparents who need walkers. They are always polite to me and offer free TV, snack, and drink, and the seats are very comfortable for Economy, and premium Economy. If I ever go to India and fly around the country I will be sure to fly Indigo.

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