Air Deccan is a unit of Deccan Aviation Private Limited, India's largest private heli-charter company. Deccan Aviation has done reasonably well in selling the concept of chartering private helicopters as a means of transportation, and has built a reputation for providing speedy and reliable heli-services for company charters, tourism, medical evacuation and off-shore logistics.

With experience and reputation under its belt, Deccan Aviation set out to start a new concept in airways with Air Deccan. The concept was exciting and the enormous potential that lay before a low cost airline caused many to look keenly at this very interesting experiment. However, Air Deccan’s first flight attracted negative media attention when the flight was delayed by a fire. Many were quick to dismiss the concept as non-workable but the brand soldiered on and is now fairly popular.

The airline’s position of strength is in rock bottom rates; none of the larger airlines have figured out how to counter the fledgling airline’s pricing advantage. Virtually a monopoly in this category of economy flights, Air Deccan can celebrate as long as it remains unchallenged. However, the brand seems unprepared to take on competition and many aspects of the offering seem poorly managed.

Having done little to prepare customers for the brand experience, the relatively small size of the plane, the fact that passengers have to buy refreshments on flight, and the free seating arrangement may come as an unexpected (and unwanted) surprise to many.

The tag line “Simplifly” is a smart line that encapsulates “simplicity” in the context of flying, but many miss the subtlety of the line and read it as “Simplify,” which is not entirely bad in itself. However, Deccan’s advertisements focus almost exclusively on announcing new flights and rates, an opportunity that might be better used to explain aspects such as how the airline keeps its costs low. Communicating about the cost cutting techniques of, for instance, paper print outs in place of conventional flight tickets or the lack of free snacks on the flight, could be a useful to prepare the traveler for the flight experience. In the absence of an explanation of the brand’s strategy, Deccan stands to look cheap rather than inexpensive.

In practice, customer care varies from good to mediocre at Deccan. Service inconsistencies and aggressive call centre personnel lead to a feeling of “you get what you pay for,” an aspect that lacks the tactical brilliance of pricing and good cheer that Southwest radiates.

At present, limited routes and limited service restrict the brand from attracting a lot of travelers with its low cost offering. As these limitations fade, how well the brand capitalizes on its good start, how well it manages growth, and how well it survives competition remains to be seen. But for now the brand has a lot to do to convert its ambitious start into a success story.