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We are the Harrods of the sky: Vijay Mallya

Vijay Mallya

LONDON: Vijay Mallya, the flamboyant Chairman of Kingfisher Airlines which made its international debut this week with the flashy launch of a daily flight between London and Bangalore, has vowed to give British Airways (BA) run for its money claiming that not only does his airline offer better service at the same price but also has ‘prettier’ and more efficient air-hostesses. And, apparently, the secret is that he picks them himself.

Describing his airlines as the “Harrods of the sky”, Mr. Mallya compared the BA to the ‘staid’ Air India dismissing them rather contemptuously as “old establishment carriers”. (Harrods is a department store in London. The store occupies a 4.5-acre site and has over one million sq. ft. of selling space in over 330 departments.)

“Their service is very set, very staid — not as warm, not as friendly (as Kingfisher’s),” he told The Daily Telegraph claiming: “We offer an infinitely better service. We are the Harrods of the sky.”

And, Mr. Mallya added, his airhostesses were the best in business.

“Yes, they are. I pick them all myself. I look for height, figure, command of English, manner and style of speaking. They then have psychometric test. We delve a bit deeper into their inner psyche to see if they are service-oriented, if service comes to them naturally,” he said.

While Mr. Mallya was confident of beating down rivals on the London-Bangalore route, he was cautious about making any brave predictions about the more competitive London-Mumbai sector which Kingfisher takes on next month.

“I know I will have a fight, I’m going to be a fifth operator taking on Virgin Atlantic, Jet Airways, Air India and BA,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to one media report, each of 300-odd guests at a banquet held to mark the first anniversary of the U.K.-India Business Council was given a ‘red envelope’ on behalf of Mr. Mallya containing a return ticket to Bangalore with Kingfisher, valid for a year.

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