Vistara, the Tata SIA joint venture, is merging with Air India on Nov 11, 2024. As the date was announced, social media saw people post about how they would miss Vistara. The shift started from September 03 and it is nearly complete with flights beyond Nov 11 being available only with Air India and Vistara website directing passengers to Air India website for bookings as well as redemptions.
The airline clearly mentioned that all Vistara aircraft will be operated by Air India from Nov 12 and beyond. As the transfer date comes nearer, passengers who have liked the Vistara hospitality are already talking about missing it in future. However, you could still enjoy the Vistara aircraft and hospitality to an extent until early next year.
What is happening?
As Vistara transitions to Air India, the aircraft won’t appear in Air India livery overnight. It will be a gradual process since it requires a downtime, something which no airline wants to take especially during the peak season. This would typically be times with heavy checks for the planes. Instead, the Vistara network and crew will continue as a pair until early next year. This means that your favourite Vistara flight will still be operating with Vistara aircraft and Vistara crew.
How do I identify which of the flights will be operated by Vistara aircraft?
Air India flights operating with a prefix 2 and a four digit number are those to be operated by Vistara aircraft post Nov 12. Let’s take some examples. Delhi – Paris, a route which will see both legacy Air India and legacy Vistara operate sees Vistara’s flight number UK 021 shift to AI 2021. With three class configuration, Air India sells Premium Economy on the flight operated by what would be former Vistara aircraft, while its own 787-8 dreamliner is configured in two classes, for now.
The logic is similar on domestic legs, where it is difficult to identify the correct planes – thanks to Air India shifting some of the flights to three class configuration similar to Vistara. Thus, not all flights which are showing a Premium Economy cabin will be with former Vistara aircraft. Here again, the prefix “2” comes to the rescue in understanding which flights are to be operated by the former Vistara aircraft.
On the top two metro routes, the Air India – Vistara combine overtakes IndiGo in terms of frequency right from the first day of the merger. Interestingly in some cases with the merger Air India would have two flights at the same time or within minutes of each other. In such cases, the airline’s revenue management teams don’t seem to treat the two metal’s separately and pricing one higher than the other but both being sold at same pricing.
Is this assured?
Unfortunately, not. Engineering requirements, groundings, operational swaps could mean that the airline – a unified entity would prioritise the flight over the equipment which may be due to connecting passengers, operational constraints or avoiding further disruption.
The airline does not take any assurance of providing a particular type of aircraft.
What next?
Air India unveiled its new branding in August 2023. Unlike the overnight branding change to the new logo which happens in most rebranding exercises, Air India has been slow in this exercise across touchpoints.From inflight cutlery changes to boarding passes and airport brandings, things are gradually shifting. There remains no clarity on the meal service with former Vistara aircraft. While the airline has publicly said that the Vistara plane and crew pairing would remain so until early next year, a lot of changes could be set if there is attrition and as the airline goes for routes rationalisation, frequency rationalisation as well as metal rationalisation.
Air India would definitely want to look at providing a market specific product which could see changes to the widebody network of Vistara, the smallest and easiest to change. At both Frankfurt and Paris, where Air India and Vistara operate – there is quite a disparity in the product and when all flights get branded as Air India, this disparity could hurt. Instead, could the airline look at making such routes all former Vistara operated ones? The answer lies in Air India’s tagline “to limitless possibilities”. How the airline evaluates and implements each one will decide its fate, and also that of loyal Vistara passengers.
