NEW DELHI, 8 November 2024: Air India is embarking on multiple steps to ensure a smooth on-ground customer experience as Vistara merges with Air India on 12 November 2024.
In the first month after the merger, nearly 115,000 customers who had purchased Vistara tickets before the merger are expected to fly on unified Air India.
Vistara’s customers will continue to have the same experience post-merger. Vistara aircraft will be operated by Air India and identified by a special four-digit Air India code beginning with the digit ‘2.’
For instance, UK 955 will become AI 2955, helping customers identify them while booking on www.airindia.com after 12 November.
Vistara’s routes and schedule will continue to be the same, as will the Vistara in-flight experience, which includes the product and services. The same crew will also service the aircraft.
Air India has deployed additional resources across touch points in India and is working closely with partner airports to undertake the following steps:
• Help desk kiosks at the curbside, before terminal entry at hubs and metro city airports
• Deploy customer support staff wearing “How may I assist you?” Air India x Vistara branded t-shirts for support
• Work with airport security to guide customers with old Vistara tickets to the nearest help desk or to Air India customer support staff
• Vistara airport ticketing offices will become Air India offices
• Vistara check-in terminals will become Air India
• Deploy customer advisory on Self-Service Kiosks: “For Vistara flights under code AI2, select Air India for check-in starting 12 November 2024.”
Customers calling the Vistara contact centre will be automatically directed to Air India representatives, ensuring a seamless experience during this transition.
Over the last few months, 270,000 customers who had booked Vistara flights have been migrated to Air India and notified about the change. Data for over 4.5 million Vistara loyalty programme members is being migrated to Air India’s loyalty programme.
Air India will serve 90 domestic and international destinations and over 800 more through codeshare and interline partners. The airline’s narrow-body fleet continues to be upgraded with new aircraft being delivered, legacy aircraft being refitted with entirely new interiors and Vistara’s catering has also been extended to Air India.
Air India’s widebody fleet has also been augmented with the entry of six A350 aircraft that have started to fly between Delhi and London and Delhi and New York. Air India has started its retrofit program with the first A320neo narrow-body aircraft being sent for retrofit. 27 narrow-body legacy aircraft will be totally refurbished and retrofitted, and this retrofit is likely to be completed by the middle of 2025.
The retrofitted A320neo aircraft will feature eight luxurious business seats, 24 extra-legroom seats in premium economy, and 132 seats in economy.
