BANGALORE: Deccan looks set for a second rechristening and a new brand positioning. Last year, the name had been changed from Air Deccan to Deccan, following its merger with Kingfisher Airlines. Now, new owner Vijay Mallya plans to prefix the word King or Kingfisher to the airline.
Sources say the name change will happen along with a repositioning of the brand, which will move the low-cost carrier a few shades up the value chain making it conceptually similar to Jet’s JetLite. The new brand will be launched shortly. We plan to position the new brand not as a low-cost carrier but a value-based carrier, a senior airline official said.
Mallya is likely to launch the new brand along with his IPL cricket team. He indicated that the makeover be done well before the IPL tournament starts, so that he can market the new brand during the tournament. A decision on the name will be taken once he (Mallya) is back from Australia, a source said.
Sources said the latest move is also expected to help Mallya fly Kingfisher Airlines on international routes from August by using Deccan’s license to fly abroad. Mallya has faced opposition from the civil aviation ministry to fly Kingfisher overseas because the brand has not completed the mandatory five years of operation. Deccan, on the other hand, completes five years in August 2008.
As for brand repositioning, the livery of Deccan has already been changed to resemble that of the premium Kingfisher Airlines. The new brand will also offer reclining seats, which was not seen in Deccan.
In its first round of re-branding post-merger, Deccan changed the fabric upholstery to leather ones. Deccan has just announced a new cancellation and rescheduling policy.
Courtesy: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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