Jetstar and Valuair head for Bangalore

Jetstar and Valuair head for Bangalore

The Straits Times

Travellers can expect lower fares when Jetstar Asia starts flying to Bangalore next month.

The airline, backed by Australia's Qantas, will fly to the Indian IT hub five times a week from Jan 23.

Early birds who book in the next one week will pay a promotional fare of S$98 (US$58) for a one-way ticket and around S$200 (US$119) for a return ticket. Travellers also need to pay airport taxes and other applicable surcharges.

The regular one-way fare is S$228 (US$136)and it is S$400 (US$238) plus for a return ticket.

Main carriers like Singapore Airlines charge more than S$600 (US$357) for a return fare.

Jetstar Asia's acting chief executive officer, Neil Thompson, announced the new route Monday (Dec 12) when he met the press.

He said: "Bangalore has been growing phenomenally over recent years and while airlines have flocked to fill passenger demand, the costs of flying have been very high."

Jetstar's entry into the market will change that, he promised, adding that the airline will be the "only value-for-money airline operating between the two cities".

Thompson also announced that Valuair will start flying three times a week to Bali in Indonesia from Jan 27.

A promotional fare of S$99 (US$59) for a return trip is also available for those who book in the next one week.

Jetstar Asia and Valuair merged recently but the two airlines are retaining their separate brands for now.

Thompson, Jetstar Asia's third new boss in a year and formerly Qantas' general manager for customer relationship marketing, plans to concentrate on customer service and growing existing markets.

"One area of focus will be to consolidate our positions in the existing markets and grow the business in those areas," he said when asked about his role before a new permanent head is appointed in the first quarter of next year.

The Straits Times understands that there are no new destinations on the radar for the next few months at least.

Given his marketing and customer relationship background, Thompson will also spend some time working on customer profiles.

The idea is to gather information on the different types of people who fly the airline so that programmes and services can be introduced with the customer in mind.

Jetstar, which is 49 per cent owned by Qantas, will fly to 10 destinations by the end of next month.

Valuair will fly to three points in Indonesia - Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali.