SUBMITED BY

MOUSUMI SHARMA

REGISTRATION NO.-015783
ROLL NO-1316117-180005
COLLEGE ROLL NO-08

SUPERVISED BY:-DR.JOYDEV SAHA (ASSOCIATE

PROFESSOR)

KALYANI MAHAVIDYALAYA

KALYANI MAHAVIDLAYALA

(AFFILIATED TO UNIVERSITY KALYANI)

KALYANI,NADIA,WEST BENGAL,NORTH 24 PGS.

 Acknowledgement

I avail myself of the opportunities with great pleasure in acknowledging my deepest sense of
gratitude to Prof.Dr.Joydev Saha Department of Commerce, Kalyani Mahavidyalaya , for
selection of problems, valuable guidance, constant supervision, encouragement, suggestions
and painstaking efforts throughout the period of investigation and preparation of this project
report.
At this moment I never forget the name of Prof .Sri Pintu Das, Prof .Sri Manoj Sharma, Prof
. Smt. Arpita Ghoush, Prof. Smt. Mandakranta Ray, Prof. Sri Saikat Dutta and Prof. Indrajit
Sen of Department of Commerce, Kalyani Mahavidyalaya for their kind support in
completing the project report. I am largely indebted to them.

I also convey my heartiest gratitude to Dr. Runu Das,Principal, kalyani Mahavidyalaya and
Teachers of the other department who are acted as well-wisher since the beginning of
college education.

I also thankful to my beloved typist, who typed the project report neatly on urgent basis.

Dated:
Address: Kanchrapara, Chakla
P.O- Chandua, N(24) Pgs, PIN-743145
(Mousumi Sharma)
 CHAPTER 1:- INTRODUCTION

It is a very well known fact that aviation sector not only brings immense benefits to communities
and economies around the globe, but also is a key catalyst of economic growth, social
development and tourism. It facilitates connectivity and access to international markets. Air
transport currently supports 56.6 million jobs and accounts for over US$ 2.2 trillion of the global
gross domestic product (GDP).

Air passenger traffic in India is increasing on a tremendous pace. The sub-continent’s Airport
infrastructure is undergoing modernization with the induction of most advanced facilities. It
includes setting up of new greenfield airports and installation of security, surveillance and air
traffic navigation systems.

India is currently the 9th largest aviation market handling 121 million domestic and 41 million
international passengers. Today more than 85 international airlines operate to India and 5 Indian
carriers connect over 40 countries.

During the period of independence, 9 air transport companies were carrying both air cargo and
passengers in the Indian Territory. In 1948, the Indian Government and Air India set up a joint
sector company, Air India International to further strengthen the Aviation Industry of India. As part
of nationalization in 1953 of Indian Airlines (IA) brought the domestic civil aviation sector under
the purview of Indian Government. Later till the mid 1990’s government-owned airlines dominated
Indian aviation industry. When the government adopted the Open-sky policy in 1990 and other
liberalization policies the Indian Aviation Indian made underwent a rapid and dramatic
transformation.

By the year 2000 several private airlines have entered into the aviation business in succession and
many more were about to enter into the arena. Indian aviation industry today is dominated by
private airlines and low-cost carriers like Deccan Airlines, GoAir, and SpiceJet, etc. And Indian
Airlines, the giant of Indian air travel industry, gradually lost its market share to these private
airlines. According to the report of CAPA, these budget carriers are likely to double their market
share by 2010 — one of the highest in the world.

The Indian aviation sector can be broadly divided into the following main categories:

• Scheduled air transport service includes domestic and international airlines.

• Non-scheduled air transport service consists of charter operators and air taxi operators.
Air cargo service, which includes air transportation of cargo and mail.

Scheduled air transport service: It is an air transport service undertaken between two or more
places and operated according to a published timetable. It includes:

Domestic airlines, which provide scheduled flights within India and to select international
destinations. Air Deccan, Spice Jet, Kingfisher Airline and IndiGo are some of the domestic players
in the industry.
International airlines operate from scheduled international air services to and from India.

Non-scheduled air transport service: It is an air transport service other than the scheduled one and
may be on charter basis and/or non-scheduled basis. The operator is not permitted to publish time
schedule and issue tickets to passengers.

Air cargo services: It is an air transportation of cargo and mail. It may be on scheduled or non-
scheduled basis. These operations are to destinations within India. For operation outside India, the
operator has to take specific permission of Directorate General of Civil Aviation demonstrating his
capacity for conducting such an operation.
 CHAPTER 2:- CONCEPTUAL FRAME WORK/NATIONAL
/INTERNATIONALSCENARIO

The Indian Aviation Industry is currently one of the fastest growing aviation industries in the world.
The aviation industry in India has a compound annual growth rate of 18%. There are 454 airports
and airstrips in India, of which 16 are designated as international airports. As of May 2006, private
airlines accounted for more than 75% of the sector of the domestic aviation market.

With an increase in traffic movement during December 2009 the Indian aviation sector saw an
increase in revenue by almost US$ 21.4 million. Moreover, the Airport Authority of India seems set
to accrue better margins in near future as per the latest estimates released by Ministry of Civil
Aviation. The better returns so mentioned are being primarily attributed to increase in the share of
revenue from Delhi International Airport Limited and Mumbai International Airport
Limited.According to a report released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation the number of passengers
carried by domestic airlines rose from 67, 61, 000 to 80, 56, 000 for the period January —
February 2009 and January — February 2010 respectively. The increase in passenger marked a
growth of 19.2% for the aforementioned period. Some of the factors that have resulted in higher
demand for air transport in India include the growing purchasing power of middle class, low
airfares offered by budget airlines, the growth of tourism industry, increasing outbound travel
from India and overall economic growth of India.

Not only this but airports in India are being ranked among the top airports of the world. The
Hyderabad International Airport has been ranked amongst world’s top 5 Airports in the
annual Airport Service Quality passenger survey along with airports at Seoul, Singapore, Hong
Kong and Beijing. There are even talks going on between India and United States to make the
country an aviation hub.

The Airport Authority of India is set to spend over US$ 1 billion in 2010, towards modernization of
airports. The civil aviation ministry has also converted Delhi airport into an international hub for
passenger airlines to help the airport utilize large amounts of additional capacity.

The investment policy of India in aviation industry currently allows FDI up to 100% under the
automatic route for green field projects and for existing projects, FDI up to 100 % is allowed; upto
74% under the automatic route and beyond 74% under the government route.

Potential for Growth

Despite the slowdown and slow recovery, Indian Aviation industry sector still continues to look
promising. This is primarily due to the burgeoning middle class with increasing massive purchasing
power, low cost carriers providing services at very attractive low fares, the growth of Indian
tourism and increasing outbound travel from India. In addition, the Government has planned to
modernise non-metro airports, phasing out new international routes, putting into place new
airports and renovating existing ones. Experts are estimating the growth of industry as high as
25% YoY.
Since 2006, most of the major Indian airline operators such as Air India, Indian Airlines, Jet Airways
and Kingfisher Airlines have reported large losses, reason being high aviation turbine fuel
(ATF)prices, rising labor costs and shortage of skilled labor, rapid fleet expansion, as weel as
intense price competition. Adding to all these problems are the new players entering the industry
even before the existing players could stabilize their operations. As a result, all the airlines suffered
even further when the recession hit.

Even then also the Indian aviation industry has been more prone to crisis as compared to their
global counterparts and thus, India has the highest passenger growth rate among all the airlines
sector in the world including economies like France and Australia.

The number of passengers travelling by air will be a whopping 400 million by 2020. To meet with
this accelerated demand, existing players need to increase fleets and broaden their reach including
regional destinations as well. They are also going to get the competition from international low
cost airlines like Air Asia (Malaysian) and JetStar Asia (Australian).

Flight into the future

As estimated by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), by 2011, the Indian aviation sector is likely to
cross the mark of 60 million domestic passengers, whereas the total number of passengers i.e. both
domestic and international is expected to cross the 100 million-mark over the next three years.

India is gearing up for heavy investments in the aviation sector of India. Accoding to the Investment
Commission of India, Investment opportunities of US$ 110 billion are being envisaged up to 2020 with US$
80 billion towards new aircraft and US$ 30 billion for the development of airport infrastructure.

Over the next 10 years, the Indian aviation sector will try to cash in on the potential to grow by 25%
annually, as said by Praful Patel, the Minister for Civil Aviation. Also it could attract the highest investments
among all the industries in India i.e. an amount up to $45 billion.

India needs improvements in services offered, huge number of skilled personnel and to stop already
experiencing shortage of pilots and thereby problems like direct and indirect employment. Hence, India can
look at this time to play a transforming role in this sector, as it holds great promise for development as well
needed for the Indian economy to grow at a faster rate.

Major players in domestic market

Indian

Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. Full Fare Airlines

Jet Airways Ltd.

IndiGo

Jetlite

Budget AirlinesSpiceJet

Paramount Airways

Go Air

Kingfisher Red
Current Market Shares
Jet airways and Jetlite : 25.9%

Ki ngfisher: 21.4%

NACIL: 18.2%

IndiGo : 15.7%

SpiceJet: 12.6%

Go Air: 5.9%

Paramount Airways: 0.3%

Civil Aviation policy in India:- in the context of a multiplicity off airport operators ( including private
sector), and the possibility of oligopolistick practices there is a need for an autonomous regulatory
authority which could work as a watchdog, as well as a facilitator for the sector, prescribe and enforce
minimum standards for all agencies, settle disputes with regard to abuse of monopoly and ensure level
playing field for all agencies. The CAA was commissioned to maintain a competitive civil aviation
environment which ensures safety and security in accordance with international standards, promotes
efficient, cost-effective and orderly growth of air transport and contributes to social and economic
development of the country.

Objectives of Civil Aviation :-

• To ensure aviation safety, security

• Effective regulation of air transport in the country in the liberalized environment.
• Safe, efficient, reliable and widespread quality Air transport services are provided at reasonable
prices.
• Flexibility to adapt to changing needs and circumstances
• Encourage private participation
• Encourage Trade, tourism and overall economic activity and growth
• Security of Civil Aviation operations is ensured through appropriate systems, policies, and practices

Private sector participation and the civil aviation policy :-

• Private sector participation will be a major thrust area in the civil aviation sector for
promoting investment, improving quality and efficiency and increasing competition
• Competitive regulatory framework with minimal controls encourages entry and operation
of private airlines/airports.
• Encouragement of private sector investment in the construction, up gradation and
operation of new and existing airports including cargo related infrastructure.
• Rationalization of various charges and price of ATF/Avgas will be undertaken to render
operation of smaller aircraft viable so as to encourage major investment in feeder and
regional air services by the private sector.
• Training institutes for pilots, flight engineers, maintenance personnel, Air-traffic controller,
and security will be encouraged in private sector.
• Private sector investment in non-aeronautical activities like shopping complex, golf courac,
entertainment park, aero-sports etc. Near airports will be encouraged to increase revenue, I
 prove viability of airports and to promote tourism. CAA will ensure that this is not at the
cost of primary aeronautical functions, and is consistent with the security requirements.
• Government will gradually reduce its equyty in PSUs in the sector.
• Government will encourage employee participation through issue of sharf and ESOP.

Security :- Strict national civil aviation security program to safeguard civil aviation operations
against act of unlawful interference have to be established through regulations, practices and
procedures, which take account of the safety, regularity and efficiency of flights. A good safety
record is a judgement of past performance but doesn’t guarantee the future, although it is a
useful indicator. Where pilot error is said to be on the decline, factors of fatigue, weather,
congestion and automated systems have complicated safety. Airline operators, pilots,
mechanics, flight attendants, government regulators and makers all have a stake in making
aviation as safe as possible. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International
Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), manufacturers and others bodies cooperate in this ain. As
world air traffic is expected to double or more by 2020, the accident rate must be reduced in
order to avoid major accidents occurring more frequently around the globe.

Maintenance :- Private sector participation is encouraged in existing maintenance

infrastructure of Indian Airlines and Air Indian like Jet engin overhaul Complex (JEOC) and new
maintenance facilities including engine overhaul and repairs with up to 100% foreign equity.

Indian Airlines has major maintenance facilities for all tha types of aircraft in IAL fleep i.e. Airbus
– 300,Airbus-320,Boeing-737 and Dornier – 228.the Engineering department is responsible for
maintenance of aircraft and is answerable to director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in
maintaining the quality control. The Maintenance of the aircraft is carried out at four major
bases located at Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Hyderabad.

Sahara also has its own NDT shops, wheels and brake assembly shop, bettery charging shop,
avionics shop a and seat repair shop. It is the only private domestic airline to have its own
hangar for aircraft maintenance. It is also the only private domestic airline to have self
maintenance capability. Air Deccan, Bangalore-based airline, has decided to set up its
engineering and maintenance facility for Airbus-320 operations, basing two of afleet of 11
airbus jets here. They have also sought land from the Airports Authority of India to build an
exclusive hangar to carry out 300 and 500-hour checks, apart from C-checks and line
maintenence.

CHAPTER 3:- Presentation, Analysis & Findings

Fleet size:- Fleet-wise also Indian Carries are quite small. Air India has a total fleet size of 33
aircraft Indian Airlines is somewhat larger, being the size of Singapore Airlines with 62 aircraft.
Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian Airlines has 14 aircraft. Among the private
airlines jet Airways has 41 aircraft, Sahara 19 and Deccan Air 5.

This is minimal when compared with American Airlines, one of the world’s largest airlines with
almost 1000 aircraft and carrying over 80,000,000 passengers and 650,000 Tonnes of freight a
year. Even Singapore Airlines, a small nation airline that operates only internationally, has
almost twice the number of aircraft than its parallel Air India. This When India is lulled with the
images of being a part of the bricks economy, the so-called economies of the future. This
makes Indian carriers of a small player in the passenger aviation world in general and
International Travels in particular.

Foreign Equity Participation :- The three-member enquiry committee, led by former

petroleum secretary TS Vijayaraghavan, has suggested that 100% foreign investment,
including by foreign airlines, should be allowed in non-scheduled services such as chartered
aircraft and helicopter operations.

As of now, foreign airlines are not permitted to pick up equity directly or indirectly in
domestic air companies. Foreign equity upto 40% and NRI/OCB investment up to 100% is
permissible in the domestic air transport services.

Under the current policy, if a foreign airline operates in India the responsibility to ensure
safety of the aircraft vests with the country in which it is registered and is outside the
purview of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “such an operation is termed
cabotage and is not permitted anywhere”, the report said

Indian operators can, however, lease aircraft from foreign companies, but the government
only permits “dry-lease”, which requires the aircraft to be registered in India and certified
by the DGCA as airworthy. Wet lease with foreign registration and crew is only allowed in
exceptional circumstances

Any increase in the cost of equity capital flows through to the choice of debt versus equity
and thereby distorts capital structures. Airline should have flexibility in financing their
operations and developing their corporate structures. The existence of a cap on foreign
ownership limits this flexibility.
 Factors inputs:- Airfares in India are among the highest in the world. For instancek, a
typical Delhi-Bangalore round trip costs Rs 18,000 – the same as it would from Delhi to
Singapore.

Labour:- If regulations or industry policy provide protection to an industry, the value of protection
may be dissipated in poor productivity and higher than-normal returns to labour and capital. Entry
limitations and capacity constraints have the potential to allow airlines to earn above normal
returns, which may be appropriated by shareholders or paid out in higher than normal costs
(including wages, salaries and working conditions).

Given the valuable contribution that aviation and tourism make to national welfare, it is essential
that the aviation market is globally competitive and functions in the most efficient way. This means
that the inputs that the industry depends on, such as labour and capital, must also be available on
an internationally competitive basis

Fuel price :- ATF is the major cost for domestic carriers accounting for 30% of the total operating
costs in India, which is much higher than around 10-15% for airlines worldwide. The exorbitant
sales tax on the ATF, which increases the price of ATF, is the major reason for this higher share
inoperating cost. The jet fuel price has increased by 13.1% to USD 424.64/KL in New Delhi during
the period May-Aug ’04 The rise in the first seven months of 2004 stands at 21.5%

Capital :- The relatively capital-intensive nature of the airline industry, combined with the fact that
airlines are generally regarded as being inherently risky investments, means that access to large,
well-functioning capital markets is an important issue for all airlines. The effects of these
restrictions may vary from country to country, but are likely to be greater for countries with small
domestic capital markets.

Operating costs :- The regulatory system affects where, how and when airlines can fly. Thus it
affects airlines’ ability to operate efficient networks and their revenue. To the extent that airlines
cannot use the least cost combinations of aircraft types to carry passengers and freight, the costs
of operating existing networks are higher than the otherwise might be (technical
inefficiency).Future, they may be prevented from flying the optimum sized and configured network
(allocated inefficiency). Thus, costs may be reduced as airlines are able to operate the right aircraft
at the right frequencies on an existing route. Airlines, by changing the design of a network and
increasing its size, may also be able to decrease costs through economies of scale and scope.

Airline Acquisition /Leasing Cost:- Taking aircraft on lease is one of the preferred modes among
the Indian carriers. However, this has suddenly become costlier affair due to changes proposed in
Union Budget 2004-05. The budget proposes withdrawal of tax exemption granted to acquire
aircraft or an aircraft engine on lease prospectively from September 1, 2004. This has resulted in
imposition of withholding tax of 42% on leasing of aircraft. Impediment of this kind at a juncture
when almost all, Indian carriers are firming up there expansion plans especially through leasing of
aircraft is a setback. But after hard lobbying by the industry the deadline was deferred until April 1,
2005 and would now be withdrawn for lease agreements entered into after April 1,2004.

All carriers barring Jet Airways will feel the heat of the sudden withdrawal of exemption for taking
aircraft for lease as they have significant plan to expand the fleet capacity by leasing route.
Thisincludes both state carriers like Air Sahara, Air Deccan. As jet Airways that has predominantly
prefers owning aircraft rather than going for leasing.

As tax exemption will not be available for lease agreements entered on or after April 1, 2005 the
Indian carriers who have plans to take aircraft on lease have to sign agreement either on or before
the expiry date or they will have to bear additional cost burden. Alternatively, taking aircraft on
lease rental. This may not be much helpful to state carriers and to some extent the private players
also due to auditing/accounting procedures.

As leasing route is the most preferred one for a new entrant, the Budget initiatives will prove be a
heavy deterrent as they will escalate the effective lease rental cost by almost 42%.
Market Structure And Implications :- The Aviation Industry of India, especially with regard to
passenger airlines, follows a strictly oligopoly-type structure with the characteristics. (1)An industry
dominated by a small number of large firms (see market shares. Below) (2) firms sell either
identical or differentiated products (the only differentiation here being in service quality and frills
offered), and (3) the industry has significant barriers to entry (which holds true both with respect
to regulations and huge capital investment required).

One sees the following characteristics with respect to the Indian passenger airlines market-

• Few number of firms contributing to majority of the market share

• Products are differentiated in terms of service quality and offerings
• MR=MC
• P>MC
• Entry Barriers
• Firm is a price – setter
• Long run profit>=0
• Strategy dependent on individual rival firms behavior

Market share concentration :- According to the figures on market share of various scheduled
airlines in the same year, Jet Airways topped the list with 406.7% in 2003-04, followed by Indian
Airlines (IA) and its subsidiary Alliance Air together at 39.3% Air Sahara at 13% and Air Deccan 1%

Indian Aviation Market – A differentiated oligopoly

Each seller in an imperfectly competitive market faces a negatively sloper demand curve for his

product, permitting him some control of the price of his product. In an oligopoloi, a few firms

produce the same product, while in monopolistic competition, many firms produce differentiated

but similar products. In a differentiated oligopoly, a few firms produce products different enough

for each films to have its own downward sloping demand curve. As with a perfectly competitive

firm or a monopoly, the differentiated oligopoly firm produces at a profit maximising level of

output where marginal cost equals marginal revenue. The firm finds the price it will charge

customers at the profit maximising level of output (Q m) from the demand curve, and sets price to

Pm. As we can see, the firm is earning economic profits since price exceeds average total cost at the

profit maximising level of output.

Pricing Mechanisms:-
Price and quantity are determined by the interaction of demand and supply in the market.
However, given the large number of buyers firms can decide prices at which they will sell tickets. In
fact, in the airline sector, firms go in for third degree price discrimination and segment the market,
charging a higher price to the market with a relatively inelastic demand (such as fares between
business and economy class travellers, or between emergency travel and leisure travel by
providing apex fares). The low cost airlines follow this different pricing strategy. Customers
booking early with carriers such as Air Deccan will normally find much lower prices if they are
prepared to commit themselves to a flight by booking early with carriers such as Air Deccan will
normally find much lower prices if they are prepared to commit themselves to a flight by booking
early on the justification that consumer:s demand for a particular flight becomes more inelastic the
nearer to the time of the service.

The term “revenue management” is commonly used to describe most aspects of airlines pricing
and seat-inventory control decisions but in reality, revenue managers primarily practice seat-
inventory control. Formally, revenue management describes a process of setting fares for each
route (Origin &and destination pair) and each set of restrictions (nonstop, time-of-day, day-of-
week, refundable, advanced purchases, first class or coach, and Saturday night stay over) and
limiting the number of seats available at each fare. In the language of economics, revenue
management increases airline’s profits in three ways –

 Implements peak-load pricing.

 Implements third degree price discrimination. That is, fare restrictions screen customers and
segment them by their sensitivity to price and potentially by their demand uncertainty. For
instance, Indian Airlines apex fares (for booking one week or three weeks in advance).
  Implements an inventory control system for copying with uncertain demand.

Limited Entry:- Virgin Group founder Richard Branson once famously said “The safest way
tobecome a millionaire is to start as a billionaire and invest in the airline industry.”

The mortality rate in the business is very high. That’s equally true for any low-cost airline model. It
requires adequate staying power to buy aircraft and take losses in the initial years. Experts say it
takes nearly $60 million – 70 million (Rs 270 crore-315 core) to float a full-service airline.

Consumer Perception :- we conducted a survey in order to find the consumer perception about
airlines. The following results have been culled out from the survey of 116 individuals. The
sampling method was a mix of purposive and stratified random sampling and attempted to
duplicate the general consumer profiles of the population (as based)on preliminary secondary
data). The age group of the sample was between 18 and 58, across gender, location, and socio-
economic class (mapped on education and occupation, with a majority of the sample in SEC A and
B+).

The region-wise spilt up of the sample is as follows :

The areas covered in the survey are –

1. BRAND Awareness

2. Airlines usage –

a. Frequency

b. Brands

c. Purpose

d. Circuits

e. Class

3. Factors affecting consumer perception

4. Promotional scheme preferences

5. Brand parameter preferences

6. Circuits flowns
 7. Brand Awareness Study:- Indian Airlines ranks number one in brand awareness. This could
be attributed to its long stay in the market and continued support from the government.
Today, Indian Airlines has becomes synonymous with reliability and efficiency. Jet Airways is
offering stiff competition and ranks second in the list. Sahara is providing value-add
services and is following closely. The concept of a low-cost, no-frills airline is being merged
into having high quality, low cost carriers. Air Deccan, following the low-cost airlines model,
being a relatively new entrant in the market, comes in lowest currency on brand awareness

Factors affecting consumer perception :- We identified the following factors that make the

demand function of consumers. Based on your hypothesis, a choice parameter weight was

arrived at by asking the sample to rank the following parameters on a Lakers scale –a.Price
 b. Service

c. Promotional schemes

d. Loyalty programmes

e. Flight Schedules

f. Comfort with the brand

g. Corporate tie-ups

Frequency of Usage:- As indicated in the graph below, a majority the population files relatively
infrequently (as compared to the developed markets). Passengers travelling on business were
found to be more frequent users, while those flying on holidays and emergencies were those that
tended to make up the segment that flew less than once a year.

Note-As purposive sampling was under taken at Lucknow Airport, the sample population of
‘never’is not representative of the population, even in the given Secs.
Usage of Airlines :- Indian Airlines, mostly used by government employees, recorded the highest
usage followed by Jet Airways. Although most consumers rated Jet Airways high on price, it still
ranks second in usage and this could be attributed to its excellent service and promotion schemes.
Similar data for the entire population reflects a higher usage of Jet Airways than IA, and the lower
usage of Sahara, which is a possible implication of the sample location being concentrated in
almost equal proportion in Lucknow (which has a higher price sensitive population) as other major
metros.

Flight Class and Occasion of use:- Although the occasion of use indicates that maximum usage is
for business, the flight class graph indicates that the proportion travelled by business class is very
small in comparison to that travelled by economy class. This indicates that most business travellers
are flying Economy class as well. Further, the second important occasion of Usage is for
emergencies and time-critical travels.
Scheme preference :- with the entry of new players in the market, airlines are competing for
passengers on non-price parameters. This increases the product differentiation in order to
decrease elasticity of demand in the market. Given the key differentiators that substitute for price,
consumers have rated Apex fares as their most preferred scheme. Indian Airlines, Jet and Air
Sahara offer apex fares. Next most preferred to apex fares is the frequent flyer program, a trend
noticed predictably in the high frequency repeat users and those travelling on business.
Consumer Choice Parameter :- Price appears to be most important factor for the consumer
followed by service provided and flight schedules.

Indian Airlines has been rated high on most parameters while jet Airways, although rated low on
price, is rated highest in most other factors. Air Deccan, which has been ranked best on prices, has
succeeded in its mission to provide reliable low cost air-travel to common man by constantly
driving down air-fares.

Air Sahara’s may services such as In-flight entertainment and Wing n’ wheels coach service,
exclusive business lounges being operated at departure halls at airports in a number of cities,
providing for business and refreshment services has made it second most popular under services.
It has taken the lead in introducing novel initiatives such as Steal-a-seat flexi fare options,
Sixer/Super Sixer and Square Drive/Super Four.

Air Sahara’s frequent flyer program called Cosmos has also become a great hit with the
passengers, though it still ranks almost on par or lower on customer perception than the schemes
offered by Jet and IA (see promo schemes and loyalty programs), essentially due to lower
customer awareness levels.

Corporate tie-ups were a trend significant by their absence on the brand preference parameters.
While the only major tie-ups were by Indian Airlines with government agencies, these were not
perceived as strictly ‘corporate ‘ tie-ups. This Segment is hence a possible opportunity which can
be explored as a non price differentiator, given the large frequency of use by business
travellersAnalyzing :- Southwest Airlines co., incorporated in 1967 is a US domestic airline that
provides predominately short haul, high-frequency, point to point, low-fare service in the US. The
company focuses principally on point-to-point, rather than hub-and-spoke, service in markets with
frequent, conveniently timed flights and low fares.

As of December 31,2003, southwest served 337 non-stop city pairs. Examples of markets offering
frequent daily flights are Dallas to Houston, 35 weekday round trips Phoenix to Las Vegas 19
weekday round trips, and Los Angeles International to Oak land 22 weekday round trips.Southwest
complements these high-frequency short haul routes with long haul non-stop service between
markets such as Baltimore and Los Angeles phoenix and tampa Bay seattle and Nashville and
Houston and oakland

So what differentiates southwest from the ‘legacies ‘?

Southwest average aircraft trip stage length in 2003 was 558 miles with an average duration of
approximately 1.5 hours.

The Company’s point-to-point route system as compared to hub-and-spoke, providers for more
direct non-stop routing for customers and, therefore, minimizes connections, delays and Total
trip time

Southwest focuses on non-stop (not-connecting) traffic. As a result, approximately 79%of

thecompany’s customers fly nonstop.

CHAPTER 4- Conclusion and Recommendations.

India’s aviation industry is largely untapped with huge growth opportunities,

considering that air transport is still expensive for majority of the country’s
population, of which nearly 40 per cent is the upwardly middle class.

The industry stakeholders should engage and collaborate with policy makers to
implement efficient and rational decisions that would boost India’s civil aviation
industry. With the right policies and relentless focus on quality, cost and passenger
interest, India would be well placed to achieve its vision of becoming the third-
largest aviation market by 2020 and the largest by 2030.

Recommendation:-

Government Recommendations :- Code sharing is an important tool for airlines to

minimize the costs of operating services. By selling seats on a flight operated by
another carrier, code sharing enables an airline to make direct cost savings by
rationalizing services or establishing market presence on a route without actually
operating on it. Thus, both airlines may be able to save on fuel, labour and other
variable costs, as well as making more effective use of aircraft and other overheads.

Cabotage:- Restricting access by foreign carriers to the Indian domestic market gives
the Indian carriers a solid base from which to extend into international aviation. The
same applies to most other countries, with the exception of city economies such as
Singapore and Hong Kong. Restricting cabotage rights for the carriage of
passengers and freight to domestic airlines reduces competition on domestic routes.
These restrictions help keep fair and freight rates higher than theotherwise might be
boosting domestic airlines revenue at the expense of domestic consumers. Allowing
foreign carriers some cabotage rights could improve competition in the domestic
market. Integrating domestic and international services allows airlines to achieve :

• Operational synergies and efficiencies by being able to switch capacity and

aircraft between the domestic and international sectors and

• Network advantages such as economies of scope and traffic density as well as

the marketing advantages of operating a combined domestic and international
network.
The opposition to this recommendation is the view that it is most likely that foreign
carriers would engage in ‘cherry picking ‘ I.e. carry domestic traffic on the most
profitable routes. Incumbent airlines would need to counter any loss of profitability
on routes. Incumbent airlines would need to counter any loss of profitability on
routes affected by cabotage and this could mean a reduction in the number of
services provided on these routes, or the reduction or withdrawal of service from
less profitable routes, with consequential loss of amenity to passengers, including
those making connections to other parts of the domestic network.

Eliminate the fuel tax:- A most regressive tax whose burden becomes larger as fuel
costs increase (and airlines ‘ ability to pay diminishes). As an interim step – cap tax
revenue and determine a better way of obtaining (e.g., a per passenger levy).

Industry Recommendations :-

Reduce labour costs :- All major carriers need to win significant concessions from
their workers. Low labour outlays would consist of a mix of reduced wages, more
flexible work rules and trimmed benefits including pension.

Offer more transparent pricing :- The legacy carriers have long had an exotic, almost
incomprehensible pricing system. However, these days with the Internet allowing
travellers to shop for the cheapest tickets easily, and low-cost airlines offering
uncomplicated set prices, traditional carriers have to follow suit or risk losing more
and more passengers.

Get smart on fuel :- With oil near $50 a barrel, airlines must be smarter about how
they incorporate its price into their cost. Discount carries such as southwest hedge
as much as 80% of their jet-fuel costs
 CHAPTER 5 References

• Ukessays. Com

• Slide share. Net

• Wikipedia

• Google

• Scribd.com