I just got my Kingfisher Airlines flight from Mumbai to Bangalore and boy was I impressed. The airline was by far the most professional, efficient and pleasant consumer experience that I have had in India to date. The stewardesses were young, attractive, and well dressed. The seats were comfortable and reasonably spacious with a personal TV installed in the back of every seat. The flight departed on time with none of the mysterious queuing on the runway that happens in the U.S. And to top it all off they served a full meal on an hour and a half flight, and the food was some of the best food that I have had during my stay. The experience was like flying on classy, full service version of JetBlue. Amazing!
Kingfisher is perhaps more well-known for its beer. Kingfisher is the number one beer brand in India and approaches the ubiquity of Budweiser here. Unlike the “King of Beers”, Kingfisher is quite good. The beer is a light lager similar in taste to Stella Artois and compliments spicy Indian cuisine perfectly. In addition to being quite tasty it’s also a good deal, selling for a quite reasonable 100 Rs ($2USD) in cheap bars and restaurants and 150 Rs at the swanky joints in Colaba, where you will pay at least $10USD for a mixed drink. Beer penetration in India is low, as beer, even cheap beer, is a luxury good. As disposable incomes rise, Indian’s will increasing reach for a cold one. The Indian beer market is expected to grow by 17% CAGR through 2011 and with a 25% market share, Kingfisher beer like its mascot, should be flying high.
I just got my Kingfisher Airlines flight from Mumbai to Bangalore and boy was I impressed. The airline was by far the most professional, efficient and pleasant consumer experience that I have had in India to date. The stewardesses were young, attractive, and well dressed. The seats were comfortable and reasonably spacious with a personal TV installed in the back of every seat. The flight departed on time with none of the mysterious queuing on the runway that happens in the U.S. And to top it all off they served a full meal on an hour and a half flight, and the food was some of the best food that I have had during my stay. The experience was like flying on classy, full service version of JetBlue. Amazing! 
Kingfisher is perhaps more well-known for its beer. Kingfisher is the number one beer brand in India and approaches the ubiquity of Budweiser here. Unlike the “King of Beers”, Kingfisher is quite good. The beer is a light lager similar in taste to Stella Artois and compliments spicy Indian cuisine perfectly. In addition to being quite tasty it’s also a good deal, selling for a quite reasonable 100 Rs ($2USD) in cheap bars and restaurants and 150 Rs at the swanky joints in Colaba, where you will pay at least $10USD for a mixed drink. Beer penetration in India is low, as beer, even cheap beer, is a luxury good. As disposable incomes rise, Indian’s will increasing reach for a cold one. The Indian beer market is expected to grow by 17% CAGR through 2011 and with a 25% market share, Kingfisher beer like its mascot, should be flying high.
1 comment:
Just a note to my humble readers. If you had read my glowing review of Kingfisher Airlines and bought stock first thing on Monday you would have made a 60% one day return as the stock rallied on news that KING is entering an alliance with its next largest competitor Jet Airways.
The whole thing sounds like blatant collusion and would certainly not fly in the US, but this is India, so who knows.
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