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For India's 2.5-million frequent flyer passengers, the long wait for security check in airports could soon become a thing of the past. The civil aviation ministry is working on a plan to offer such flyers special privileges across India's 100-plus airports. These include quicker security checks and separate access.
Currently, there are special security channels for business- and first-class passengers at certain airports like Delhi, but not for frequent fliers.
A senior official of the civil aviation ministry told Business Standard, "We are planning to create a database of all the frequent flyers. We can use this data to provide specialised facilities for them in airports." For instance, one project would be to record data on the behavioural pattern of frequent flyers. Those who fall under 'safe' category could be exempted from full security checks, he said.
According to aviation executives, airlines give accumulated frequent-flyer miles (kilometres, points, segments) to flyers corresponding to the distance flown on that airline or its partners. Acquired miles can be redeemed for air travel or other goods or services. They can also be used for increased benefits such as travel class upgrades, airport lounge access, priority bookings, etc.
According to industry estimates, there are about 2.5 million frequent fliers in the country. However, after Kingfisher Airline's closure, the numbers of active frequent flier holders has come down to around 800,000.
Low-cost carriers claim the total number will be double once they also offer "loyalty programmes" for their frequent fliers in the next 18 months.
The government has decided to get cracking by getting the data from both the airlines and the airports. It is planning to allocate a certain budget for integration of this data, which could be used later on for many other services.
