Cold food, heated debate: Should IndiGo get an oven now?

Screengrabs from the viral video shared by @HashTagCricket on Twitter.

IndiGo is in the news again, but for the wrong reason — an altercation between a passenger and the crew on its flight from Istanbul. While an investigation by the authorities would shed light on what exactly transpired, and lead to action against the guilty, the event puts the focus back on long-haul flights of no-frills carriers, and the lack of ovens in IndiGo’s planes.

As the airline finalises its LOPA (Layout of Passenger Amenities) for the Airbus A321XLRs which are due in 2024 (subject to certification), this incident could make the airline revisit its planning, if not change course completely.

Indigo’s flights to Istanbul are the longest in its network. Part of its first codeshare arrangement with Turkish Airlines, these flights have faced repeated setbacks. The inaugural flight was impacted by the closure of Pakistani airspace post the Balakot strikes. When things normalised, strong headwinds led to the airline having to leave behind the baggage. And then there was the pandemic.

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A lot has changed, but for the ovens

True to its focus on cost control, IndiGo has opted not to have ovens on-board. The additional weight increases fuel consumption, among others. But that means that it cannot serve hot meals on board. It serves ready-to-eat items like noodles, upma, poha, etc.

Serving hot meals requires ovens to heat the meal before serving. The meal is prepared anywhere between four to twelve hours before the flight. But not having ovens on-board is not standard practice. AirAsia India, Air India Express do have ovens on board, while Go FIRST does not. Hot meals (and seating comfort) are more important on longer flights.

There are two key policies the airline has carried forward since inception — mono class and no ovens. The other policy of having only one type of aircraft has long made way for multiple types and subtypes of aircraft.

Codeshare: a service mismatch?

When a person books a no-frills flight, the person knows what he or she is getting into. But the confusion starts when it is a codeshare flight. IndiGo has been on a codeshare spree, having signed agreements with Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Air France-KLM, American Airlines, Qantas, and Jetstar.

While with a few carriers it only runs the Indian legs of the journey, with the likes of Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways it flies the India to Istanbul and Doha legs, respectively. This is precisely where the problem starts.

Not many know what a codeshare flight is and even less know the rules around such flights. The passenger’s notion of international flights having alcohol and meals included adds to the confusion.

Passengers who are unaware about the change of airline between the two (or more) legs of their journeys suddenly shift from an aircraft with personal screens to slimline seats, and from a full meal service with drinks, to buy-on-board with limited options.

Will the recent incident push IndiGo towards having ovens on board and possibly a premium economy class, or economy with better seats? With a publicly stated goal of 7-8 hour runs, customers would expect two meals, but can one really have two cold meals? While an oven might be a solution in the long term, the immediate issue is communication. IndiGo has reached where it has based on reliability and predictability. The codeshare dents this USP.

Tail end

A codeshare with a low-cost carrier (LCC) is becoming the norm. So how are others handling it? More often than not, codeshare passengers have a pre-booked meal included. It is called out during the booking process and passengers are allowed to select meals. However, IndiGo has not yet upped its game with codeshare flights, making it difficult for passengers to select or pre-purchase meals.

The A321XLR will open up new routes. Low cost operators have gone farther in the past with wide-bodied aircraft, but with narrow-bodied planes, without hot meals and with slimline seats the foreign skies do not look clear for IndiGo, and it may well have to course correct, if it hasn’t already.