Sudipta Dev – Mumbai
Pranaam is a first-of-its-kind airport service in India that was launched with the inauguration of T2, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) last year. In the last one and half years it has witnessed a business growth of 15-20 per cent month on month, with a high frequency of repeat clientele, almost 62 per cent. More than 85 per cent of those availing the service are international travellers, majorly from the US, UK and Singapore. “We have tried to redefine hospitality and bring it into the airport. The concierge that you have in hotels and the hospitality sector, we are bringing that service inside T2. Pranaam is for enhancing and elevating customer experience,” said Rekha Nair, head airport services, GVK. Passengers are taken care of from arrival, departure to transiting through Mumbai, including check-in, assistance through security and lounge access.
Pointing out that Pranaam is a niche product, not catering to the masses, Nair stated, “There is a set of clientele who need this service, and of course the VVIP clientele who want exclusivity and need to be taken care of while travelling. We also bundle up services – for instance limo service drop to the hotel, a bouquet or a cake on arrival, etc. We work as an extended arm of the hotel. While they get true Indian hospitality when they reach the hotel, we provide them the same the moment they get off the aircraft.”
There is no exclusive immigration counter for Pranaam guests however. “The product has not been positioned as fast tracked as it cannot be possible in India. We are providing assistance at all points,” clarifies Nair. The staff has been trained to identify the profile of the traveller. They comprise of business travellers, leisure as well as first time travellers. “The services are predominantly used by corporates as Mumbai is a financial capital. We also do suggested selling, for instance, what are the best thing they can do in the city. The whole idea is also to position Mumbai as a destination,” mentioned Nair.
The target is 500-600 passengers per day. Last FY 9000 passengers availed of this service. “This FY, already 7000 passengers have been catered to. We are focusing majorly on the digital front for promotion,” stated Nair. There are different categories of services – Pranaam Platinum Plus, Pranaam Platinum, Pranaam Gold, Pranaam Gold, Pranaam Group Gold, Pranaam Lounge, and others.
Pranaam is also enhancing the value proposition for passengers, for instance extra porters for large families, sleeping pods in lounge, etc. More services will be added in the future, along with a loyalty and club membership. “We are open to launching the service at other airports also,” added Nair.
The service is available for domestic travel also where most people need mostly check-in assistance. Air India and Vistara passengers are using this regularly.