Jet Airways to take on Malaysia Airways in the US

22 August 2007

The entry of Jet Airways into the US-India sector has already created an impact on other airlines, including India's official carrier Air India (AI) and the Dubai-based Emirates, both of which rely heavily on the financially strong Indian-American community for traffic.

The airline uses a brand new B777-300ER aircraft to fly from Mumbai via Brussels to Newark International Airport in New Jersey. It emphasises its 'excellent service', 'modern aircraft' and 'comfortable seats with more legroom', Jet Airways has also spared no expenses in publicising its services.

Now, Jet Airways is looking at a new source of traffic — the Malaysian Indian community in the US, mostly comprising Tamils, many of whom would not mind stopping over in India for a day or two before taking a connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur — and could become a formidable competitor to Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in the United States.

Huge advertisements are appearing in ethnic print and broadcast media that caters exclusively to Indians living in the US as also persons of Indian origin (PIO), as the Indian diaspora, including Malaysian-Indians, is referred to. What is more, US-based Malaysian Indians seem to be listening.

Many of them would like to stop in India for a couple or days or even more, to get a taste of their ancestral roots in Tamil Nadu, before flying onto Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia Airways, which once had strong business from the Indian community in the US, has seen interest decline ever since it dropped its stopover in Dubai three years ago.