SpiceJet to rejig operations and schedules

To offer more leg room for premium fliers, new food menu, apart from additions and omissions in domestic and international routes

Low-cost airline SpiceJet is set to revamp operations, with enhanced in-flight and ground services and a change in domestic and international routes. The move comes at a time when competition in the segment is expected to increase, with new players joining the market in the near future.

On Thursday, SpiceJet announced it had filed its summer 2014 schedule, which includes plans to reconfigure its Boeing 737 aircraft to offer five rows of seats, with enhanced legroom and value-added services.

On the product front, the airline announced the launch of enhanced products and services, including SpiceMAX, a priority-handling product for passengers opting for premium seats, seat priority check-in, enhanced 10-kg hand baggage allowance and priority checked-baggage handling and delivery.

It would also be launching a cabin refresh program shortly, along with rolling out several enhancements to its inflight product, including an entirely new menu and service delivery model in partnership with top caterers, and an increase in online meal ordering options. SpiceJet ground and cabin crew will also be undergoing an intensive service refresh training program.

The company announced that it would remove Pondicherry, Trichy and Allahabad stations from its network, as part of scheduling its destinations.

It is adding new international destinations, including Hong Kong and Dhaka, while it would be discontinuing its Pune-Bangkok, Varanasi-Sharjah, and Delhi-Guangzhou flights. As per the new schedule, Sharjah will continue to be served from Pune and Lucknow, and Bangkok from Bangalore. Guangzhou will be served from Kolkata, along with Hong Kong. It has also announced plans earlier to build on the interline alliance with Tiger Air by adding new cities to the existing footprint.

The revised schedule will fully deploy SpiceJet’s fleet of 42 Boeing and 15 Q400 aircraft, and will result in further growth for the airline.

"With all of the changes being put into place, SpiceJet is working towards a reinvigorated airline that will see a complete product, service, operational and performance turnaround in 2014, while increasing its network and service offering to more passengers in India and abroad," said the company.

SpiceJet, is claimed as the second largest low cost airline in the country with over 19 per cent of market share in Indian domestic market. It currently operates over 360 daily flights to 56 airports which includes 46 Indian cities and 10 international destinations.

It currently has 42 Boeing 737-800/ 900ER aircrafts along with 15 Bombardier Q400 aircrafts that are more focused on enhancing connectivity to Tier II and Tier III cities.