National: Air India Express has become the first Indian airline to launch a Virtual Interline platform, offering flyers a wider range of booking options. Starting their flight search from the airline’s website, airindiexpress.com, users can connect to the new platform, enabling them to book connecting flights where one leg of the journey is operated by Air India Express and the other leg by the partner airline.
Developed in collaboration with leading travel solutions technology company Dohop, the Virtual Interline platform “AIX Connect” enhances the connectivity of Air India Express’s network by enabling travellers to book self-connect itineraries between flights of Air India Express and those of the partner airline. Singapore-based airline, Scoot, joins as the inaugural partner, enabling users to book flights from India and the Middle East to 60 destinations across Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. This partnership introduces a range of new sectors, complementing the Air India Express network of 380 daily flights from 32 domestic and 14 international destinations. For instance, users can now book flights from Chennai to popular destinations such as Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Incheon, Melbourne, Penang, Phuket, Sydney, and Tokyo, or even flights from Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, or Muscat to Singapore via India. Similarly, travellers from Tiruchirappalli can connect to popular destinations including Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Penang, Perth, Sydney, and Taipei. Flyers from Madurai can now book flights to Bali, Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Phuket, Seoul, Sydney, and Taipei, among others.
As Air India Express continues to expand its network, especially in the Middle East, it anticipates partnering with other international airlines in the region whose networks complement destinations with significant outbound travel demand from India and attract international tourists to India.
Ankur Garg, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India Express, said, “As Air India Express strengthens its footprint across domestic and international markets, we are strategically leveraging virtual interline partnerships to unlock new destinations with seamless connectivity to the East and West. We welcome Scoot as our first airline partner on this platform and look forward to onboarding more airlines, which will be instrumental in expanding the network further to cater to the growing outbound travel demand from India, while simultaneously enhancing inbound tourism by attracting international travellers to our vibrant nation.”
“We are honoured to be Air India Express’ inaugural interline partner on this virtual platform. This partnership will not only improve the connectivity between India and Singapore, but also provide Indian travellers more flight options to Singapore and beyond. Scoot remains committed to providing our customers with comfortable and seamless travel journeys within our extensive network at the same great value,” said Calvin Chan, Chief Commercial Officer, Scoot.
Guests can conveniently initiate booking their itineraries on the Air India Express website through the virtual interline platform and self-check-in at the transit airport. The platform also protects guests from misconnections in the event of flight delays or cancellations, ensuring peace of mind.
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