Air India has made a big change in the travel industry. Specifically, the airline just launched its new ‘Easy Connect’ flights. This new system uses a hub-and-spoke model. As a result, it easily links all parts of India with the rest of the world. To start, Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu opened the first flight. He launched the service at the airport in Varanasi.
What Are Easy Connect Flights?
In the past, people travelling from smaller towns faced a hard trip. First, they had to walk through busy city airports. Next, they had to clear immigration and check their bags again. However, the new Easy Connect service completely changes this.
Because of the new model, smaller cities link directly to big hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Therefore, flyers can now enjoy a much easier trip.
Here are the key benefits for flyers:
- Through Check-in: First, passengers check their bags straight to their final stop. They do this right from their home airport.
- Origin Immigration: Also, travellers clear immigration at their starting point. As a result, they avoid long queues at crowded transit hubs.
- Seamless Transit: Finally, people pass smoothly through major Indian hubs. They do not have to claim and re-check bags along the way.
The First Flight and Future Plans
The first flight left Varanasi for Delhi early in the morning. After arriving in Delhi, passengers quickly connected to 17 global stops. In fact, they did this within a short four-hour window. These global stops include big cities like London, Rome, Frankfurt, Dubai, Riyadh, and Phuket.
Furthermore, Air India is planning a steady nationwide rollout. Over the next few months, the airline will add services from 11 more cities. For instance, these include Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Goa, and Hyderabad. Additionally, Kochi, Mumbai, Patna, Vadodara, and Visakhapatnam will join the list.
Winning Back Transit Traffic
Currently, nearly 25 million people take long flights to and from India each year. Out of these, close to 20 million are connecting flyers. Surprisingly, about 85% of these people pass through foreign hubs instead of Indian ones.
Therefore, Campbell Wilson, the CEO of Air India, talked about why this shift matters. He noted that India is a major force in global travel. However, many Indian flyers still route their trips through foreign transit points. Sadly, this often hurts their comfort and ease.
Because of this new model, families from small cities have it easier. They do not have to walk through strange foreign airports. Instead, they can feel safe and happy starting their global trip on home soil.
Important Rules for Flyers
To ensure a smooth trip, flyers must finish some steps before leaving. Most importantly, DigiYatra enrolment is a must for Indian citizens on these flights. Therefore, travellers must upload their boarding passes on the DigiYatra app before they depart. Besides this, standard web check-in and customs forms are not available at the smaller spoke airports.
Finally, bookings for these new hub-and-spoke flights are open now on all standard channels.
