India is an important market for International airlines, but in these downbeat times, how do they grab footfalls? By ticketing taste buds with diverse gastronomical delights .But instead of a general Indian cuisine, specific regional delicacies are being rolled out. So if you feel homesick while flying abroad, there is idiappam, besan chilla, chettined vegetables, achari paneer, and Amritsari chole and bhangra baingan to remind you of home.
Emirates is the latest to launch region specific cuisine this year through its ‘ Journey Through India’ campaign : Malaysian Airlines did so in November 2008, after earlier introducing Chinese, Japanese and Western cuisine ,”Soon, West Asian menus will be added too,” says Azahar Bin-Hamid,regional manager ,South Asia region, Malaysian Airlines, Singapore Airlines was among the first to have a blend of northern and southern Indian cuisine in its shahi thali.It had earlier introduced Hanagoyam,a Japanese specialty, and ShiQuan Shi Mei, a spread of 10 Chinese delicacies.
It makes sense to go for the Indian palate, say airlines.” Bookings from India have grown by 12-15 % over the previous year,” says Orhan Abbas, Emirates VP, India and Nepal. For Malaysian Airlines, India is the fifth largest contributor to its revenue and comprises 10% of its network, says Hamid.
Also, while earlier, the network of these airlines would comprise of Mumbai and Delhi, says Kapil Kaul, CEO, Indian subcontinent and Middle East, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, now they touch secondary points such as Hyderabad, Cochin, Ahmedabad, etc.”In order to customize their services to suit the new clientele, these regional cuisines were started.”
These airlines also have priority states. For Singapore Airlines, it is Tamil Nadu, says CW Foo, GM, India, due to the significant growth in passenger traffic from here. Singapore and nearby Malaysia, incidentally, have a sizable Tamil Ian population. The airline therefore offers an eclectic spread of many South Indian delicacies such as vendakkai pacjadi and Malabar avail.
Interestingly, these airlines aren’t just shooting in the dark. Their research has shown that the Indian passenger has unique traits.” While he is keen to discover new experiences,” says Abbas,”his trends to preserves his sense of taste even when traveling abroad.” And airlines are building on this emotional connect with their dishes.
Have these offers increased footfalls? An Emirates source claims approval ratings from passengers jumped 5-6 per cent more in January 2009 (when regional cuisines were introduced) as compared to the same period last year.Foo claims there’s been a significant increase in business from India over the last five years.
Airlines are taking this exercise seriously. Malaysian Airlines even got its chef on board during the inaugural flight to note the suggestions of passengers. As Abbas says,”The customer is king Emirates is an airline with a grand image and even during recession .we can’t compromise on quality.”
West Asian carriers are anyway doing better than airlines in other regions despite recession ,says the International Air Transport Association .In May ,these carriers had a 9.5% growth in demand and a 14.5% expansion of capacity,unlike those in Asia Pacific,North America ,Europe and Africa,which had declining yields.KLM’s menu card,complete with appetizers such as khasta paneer and main courses such as murgh achari and karahi paneer, shows a hennaed hand and bangles against the backdrop of a colourful brocase sari.
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