Thursday, November 10, 2011

EXCLUSIVE! Is the writing on the wall clear for Kingfisher?…OneWorld alliance and more….


Neelam Mathews
Nov 10, 2011

The going has not been good for Kingfisher Airlines- to put it mildly. The fact that there is no official media statement from the airline as it slips into a bottomless pit, is telling.

There has been a buzz that indicates the carrier may soon declare bankruptcy. Even if this does not happen and this drama reaches its crescendo, one wonders what will happen to KFA joining the OneWorld alliance. Will the alliance – that talks about adherence to quality service- be still willing to accept a partner with such a poor operations record? With routes cut and with planned reduction in fleet, will OneWorld, that is looking at domestic connections for its India-bound passengers, be satisfied with the reduced routes?

This ofcourse, leads one to the conclusion that Jet Airways will be the most sought after airline by alliances.

Meanwhile, with DGCA putting KFA on notice for not informing it about cancelled flights, the response by the airline quoted in the electronic media is lame at best. Reconfiguration of aircraft is something that is planned and therefore advance notice to the regulator is possible.

One doesn’t think the DGCA will be too pleased nor convinced by the KFA response.

As for the rest of the story, one needs to wait and see what the new dawn holds.

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