Jet Airways said on Thursday that it would become a full-services carrier and revert to its earlier practice of providing complimentary meals on all domestic flights.

Effectively, the ‘JetKonnect’ brand would cease to exist, with Jet Airways taking over as the single unified brand. Analysts see Jet’s move as a bid to take on competition from Vistara, the upcoming full services carrier promoted by Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines.

Competitive pricing

All passengers booked on JetKonnect flights (starting September 15) for travel on or after December 1 will be eligible for complimentary meals, the company said in a press statement.

Jet had launched ‘Konnect’, its no-frills service, in May 2009. The aim was “to meet the needs of the low-fare segment” and complement its full-service product.

Today, Konnect covers over 50 per cent of Jet Airways’ domestic flights and all of JetLite-operated flights. However, Konnect was unable to effectively compete on pricing with low-cost rivals such as GoAir, IndiGo and SpiceJet, analysts said. Moreover, the ‘Konnect’ brand led to perception issues that had impacted the Jet brand as well, they added.

Jet Chairman Naresh Goyal had alluded to these changes during a joint press conference with Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan on August 11. Accordingly, all Jet Airways aircraft would sport only the Jet brand, and will have 12 seats in business class and 156 in the economy section.

The Jet master-brand will also reflect in the livery, staff uniforms, interiors, services, and frequent flyer programmes across the Jet Airways group.

The airline also said it was discontinuing Sky Café, the buy on-board service, as its passengers will no longer need to pay for food or beverages on domestic flights.

In a separate announcement, Jet said that it has announced its fifth daily service between Mumbai and Dubai, starting October 14. The airline would deploy the Boeing 737-800 aircraft in business and economy class configurations.

Losses pared

Jet had pared its net loss for the first quarter ended June 30 to ₹258 crore as it managed to fly more passengers and improve its performance on all major operational parameters. It had reported a loss of ₹348.5 crore in the corresponding year-ago quarter. Revenue went up by 12.8 per cent to ₹5,040 crore (₹4,469 crore).

Shares of Jet Airways were up by 1.05 per cent to close at ₹225.5 on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Thursday.

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