[sasta_rider]

Hello BHPians

This is about my first flying experience with Akasa Air from AMD-BLR.

Being an aviation enthusiast and working for the airline industry, I was very excited to hear about the dawn of a brand new airline, Akasa Air, in India. Founded by late Mr. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala sir, Akasa Air received their first (of 72 order) Boeing 737 MAX aircraft (VT-YAA) in June 2022 and flew their first commercial flight on August 7, 2022.

Akasa Air is the largest operator of this aircraft type in India after Spicejet and the defunct Jet Airways. The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was grounded worldwide after two catastrophic incidents: one of Lion Air (Indonesia) and one of Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia) back in October 2018 and March 2019, respectively. After a lot of backlash from the airlines, pilot's union and the aviation regulators, Boeing finally gave the fix to the aircraft's Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) system, which had caused the two crashes that claimed 346 lives.

I was very eager to fly this aircraft type after Akasa came into life, but I was wondering which route to opt? Akasa has Mumbai (BOM) and Bengaluru (BLR) as their base, from where they operate flights to other destinations majorly.

I had been to Ahmedabad on December 2022 in IndiGo and was looking for return flights back to Bengaluru. That is when it hit me that why not try Akasa? I downloaded their mobile app, searched for the AMD-BLR flights, voila! I got the return flight for 5000/- odd rupees non-stop while IndiGo was offering the same route for a price of 9000/- odd rupees. I straightaway booked the flight QP-1315 (AMD-BLR) which departs at 17:35 hrs local time from AMD.

On the departure day, I headed to the airport two hours before the STD. Check-In was very smooth and quick. At that time, Akasa Air had comparatively less departures due to which the queue at counters were not as long as that of IndiGo! Akasa have smartly chosen young employees for the check-in desk, ticketing counters and terminal duties. The ingress to aircraft was not via the aero-bridge, which I do not prefer for domestic flights. When the boarding time approached closer, an Akasa Air executive came, advised us to get into the bus which dropped us near the aircraft parked in the bay. Me, as well as other aviation geeks, were excited to click the aircraft and experience the flight.

Clicked this beautiful view when the bus door was closed, as cleaning of the aircraft interiors were in progress.



Beautiful sunset and the matching livery: what else can an AVGeek be proud of?!

I could see the aircraft getting prepped for the flight: fuel lines connected to the wings, pilot performing his walk-around checks, catering truck supplying the food for us to hog in-flight and ground crew busy with luggage and cargo. The aircraft I was flying that day was the VT-YAC (third aircraft delivered to Akasa). Those chevron-shaped CFM LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engines were adding even more beauty to the aircraft overall. Compared to the previous generations of the Boeing 737, the 737 MAX aircraft has an increased landing gear height to accommodate the CFM LEAP engines and to maintain the required ground clearance. Due to this, the LEAP engine mounts are also on the higher side compared to the previous generations.

Once I got inside the aircraft, the cabin lighting, neatness and seats felt futuristic. Cabin crew (air hostess) welcomed me on-board with a genuine smile and greetings! I buckled-up myself in seat 10A (window seat) which gave me a clear view of those beautiful engines and the wings, which is also unique compared to the older generations.

I expected the seats to be filled, but once doors were closed for departure, only the front and the aft region was full. I was hopping between seats for an even better outside view at cruise altitude.



Finally, getting this wing view from Akasa Air's B737-MAX aircraft was a dream come true!

One of the key features to differentiate the older and the MAX aircraft is to look at the split-tip winglets and engine chevron design. Once boarding was completed, we were ready to start the taxi towards the runway. The aircraft was pushed back, and then the engines spooled up to life. Damn! It felt soothing and I did not feel any disturbance, unlike in older aircraft types, where we get a headache due to the engine sound. As we reached closer tto the runway, we were ready for take-off, the MAX slowly picked up pace and I could feel the lift-off. Gears-up, and after a steep bank (turn), the flight was ready to head to BLR.

For the flight, I had pre-booked a Cold Coffee from the Café Akasa Menu. To my disappointment, I was served the Amul's Kool Café, and I had expected their own branded Cold Coffee. Never-mind, since it was an evening, I just settled down with my drink watching the beautiful sunset. After cruising for some time, I fell asleep. It was time for the descent to approach BLR airport. I looked at the time, and we were 15 mins early than the STA. It is always a happy feeling when you arrive before time to any destination!

However, after butter-smoooth landing at BLR, it was the aero-bridge from where we passengers headed towards the baggage belt. Overall, it was a good experience with the new airline, long way to go. With their expanding fleet, other airlines will have a tough time to compete with Akasa, especially for Air India and IndiGo.

Let us see how these big boys rule the Indian sky!

Happy reading, safe landings!

[anjan_c2007]

Read your informative and educative writeup with lots of technical inputs. Quite many of these are unfamiliar to commoners who are not so well versed with aviation terminologies and the lingo, and hence as these are explained they are educative.

Indigo has attained the most wanted airline status post departure of Kingfisher, Jet and the erstwhile Air India. Air India was though faltering during its last decade as a PSU. Indigo, post it launch had freshness and was well sought after as a low cost airline. Jet introduced Jet Lite and Deccan Airways was also an earlier player in the "low cost" arena. Now imagine Indigo charging Rs 9000 =00 for the route while you say Akasha offered you it's ticket for Rs 5000=00.

Rather, Indigo has reached a saturation point with the initial welcome, courtesy to passengers and the personal touch totally missing these days. If at all there is any of these viz either the initial welcome, courtesy or personal touch these are totally mechanical and routine. Their fares are not competitive and in routes where only Indigo operates, they fleece the travellers. It was not so even a decade ago. In case they face stiff competition in future, their existence will be at stake.

Kingfisher was much, much ahead of its times and was the best of the lot during its prime years. Success never grew on their crew's heads and even till their last months, the airline maintained its top of the line image. It wound up due to its proprietor landing in a financial mess.

Jet Airways was also my preferred airline, but next after Kingfisher. The crew used to be quite cordial and their aircrafts well looked after and nurtured. They never attained the staid, unfriendly and static stature that Indigo has now attained due to its own making.

Jet Lite was a "no no" and so was Alliance air for me. Though I love vintage cars, these two airlines with the old, rickety but not vintage aircrafts had suspected safety. Jet Lite later got all those ageing aircrafts from the defunct Sahara Airlines added to their fleet.

Air India at present is to still gain traction from its earlier, hide bound PSU image as even now we read reports of omissions and misses by this airline.

SpiceJet has on its own sullied its image with their ill maintained fleet.

Go Air/Go First is a better choice as they are in quite a few respects better than the aviation Frankenstein Indigo.

In this backdrop Akasha appears to be a good choice. They operate in limited sectors now but we would wish that they get their fleet augmented sooner, to spread their reach over the country. At the same time, its always preferable that success should not go into their heads once they become sought after.

Courtesy and good behaviour (these don't cost any money) with passengers come with proper grooming and regular refresher training courses for the crew.

[ricky_speed]

Originally Posted by sasta_rider

Hello BHPians

The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was grounded worldwide after two catastrophic incidents: one of Lion Air (Indonesia) and one of Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia) back in October 2018 and March 2019, respectively. After a lot of backlash from the airlines, pilot's union and the aviation regulators, Boeing finally gave the fix to the aircraft's Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) system, which had caused the two crashes that claimed 346 lives.

The problem with 737 MAX is that it needs MCAS in the first place. This is because the good old 737 is closer to ground than an A320, and Boeing had to move the engines forward to accommodate the new larger engines in MAX. This makes the plane more likely to go in a nose-up position (and potentially stall), which is then balanced by the MCAS by pushing the nose down when necessary.

I'd just rather fly a plane that doesn't need an MCAS to counter what appears to be an inherent design flaw. Of course, I totally understand Akasa would've got a sweet sweet deal to buy the plane despite. Just to clarify, I don't think it's unsafe to fly it, because Boeing finally shared with airlines and pilots (after the two incidents) that an MCAS exists and how to override it.

[Boomerang]

Thank you for the informative review.

What i found inconvenient, in the first or forth row, was the placement of its aisle seat. It protrudes out; making it the last place you want to be seated during boarding.
Another aspect was that the baggage bins, for row one or was it row four, were not right above their seats.

Otherwise, I like it. New aircrafts are way superior, safer and more resilient to turbulence.

[SoumenD]

Nice review , thanks for sharing

Unpopular opinion:
I think Akasa while being pretty good has one major problem which is no more technical but more to do with perception around B737-Max. Ofcourse they bought the aircraft with hefty discounts. But the horror of MCAS still stays fresh and will prevent a lot of people from boarding it. Same issue with Spice Jet. One might say general public doesn’t know about technicalities but the amount of bad press boeing got (deservedly) was all over social media and quite a few people are aware of it.

At one time it reached to a point where this was trending:‘If it’s Boeing, I ain’t going’ . Ofcourse that was to mock their own tagline.

Hope Akasa has a smooth & successful run.

[sanjayrozario]

Originally Posted by ricky_speed

The problem with 737 MAX is that it needs MCAS in the first place. This is because the good old 737 is closer to ground than an A320, and Boeing had to move the engines forward to accommodate the new larger engines in MAX. This makes the plane more likely to go in a nose-up position (and potentially stall), which is then balanced by the MCAS by pushing the nose down when necessary.

I'd just rather fly a plane that doesn't need an MCAS to counter what appears to be an inherent design flaw. Of course, I totally understand Akasa would've got a sweet sweet deal to buy the plane despite. Just to clarify, I don't think it's unsafe to fly it, because Boeing finally shared with airlines and pilots (after the two incidents) that an MCAS exists and how to override it.

Couldn't agree more. You've summed it up well. It's an inherent design flaw & they've covered it up with MCAS.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

At one time it reached to a point where this was trending:‘If it’s Boeing, I ain’t going’ . Ofcourse that was to mock their own tagline.

Hope Akasa has a smooth & successful run.

Have you seen the interiors of an Alliance Air flight? Seats are torn, there is dust and dirt everywhere you touch, there is even long strands of hair stuck here and there, its dirtier than any mode of transportation I remember and I have been one of the 10 passengers in a 3 wheeler.

Yet Alliance Air was full!

Lowest fare, nothing else matters.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Lowest fare, nothing else matters.

While there’s definitely some truth to it and it’s proven by Indigo’s success initially but just low cost isn’t enough IMHO. Case in point: I frequently use Bangalore-Kolkata-Raipur route and we have spice, goair, indigos plying on this route. Indigo is usually the costliest and more often than none its running full capacity. While Spice and goair are always cheaper their flights are the last ones to be booked and often not entirely full unless its dussehra/Diwali. Indigo is the most trusted brand inspite of being the costliest because of their great track record wherein flights don’t get rescheduled or cancelled at last moment.

Can’t comment on Alliance as they don’t ply on my usual routes.

[lina]

Never flying Akasa or any B737-max. I just cant get myself to fly on an aircraft that crashed twice due to software errors.

[sameer sultan]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Now imagine Indigo charging Rs 9000 =00 for the route while you say Akasha offered you it's ticket for Rs 5000=00.

Their fares are not competitive and in routes where only Indigo operates, they fleece the travellers. It was not so even a decade ago. In case they face stiff competition in future, their existence will be at stake..

Airfares are dynamic. If an aircraft has has 180 seats 15% of the seats are in the lowest fare and then gradually the fares increase as the aircraft gets filled up.

The OP mentioned that the Akasa Air flight was half empty hence the fare was low. Indigo would have sold more seats on that sector than Akasa by the time OP had checked the fares.

I have seen Indigo matching Akasa fares on the routes they operate as both are low cost carriers.

One cannot escape flying Indigo in India domestically as their network is massive and they maintain their schedule unlike Spice/Go first who are notorious with last min cancellations.

But I agree monopoly is not good as mentioned by you if on a particular sector if there is no competition then Indigo fleeces!!

I hope Akasa Air flourishes as their business model seems to be similar to Indigo ie operating one type of brand new aircraft’s with a low cost model.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by lina

Never flying Akasa or any B737-max. I just cant get myself to fly on an aircraft that crashed twice due to software errors.

That of course is a personal choice and no one can argue with a personal preference. But maybe this view is a function of you being exposed only to the teething travails of this one aircraft. It was the first to encounter such design flaws in the social media era where news and fear spreads fast. Issues and early crashes bedeviled the Airbus A320 in the mid-1980s and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 in the early 1970s too. Of course, we cannot forgive Boeing for ignoring the warnings of its own engineers, manipulating the FAA's trust and rushing an improperly tested design into service to match competition. Having said that since its re-entry to service in late 2021 the 737MAX fleet has logged in over 800,000 hours of flying with 30 carriers without any major incident. That sounds safe enough for me. But I guess to each his own.

[fhdowntheline]

I understand Boeing have made significant changes to the Max now in terms of how the airspeed sensors ( more redundant) and also changes to the MCAS software.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maneuv...em?wprov=sfla1

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by sasta_rider

Hello BHPians

This is about my first flying experience with Akasa Air from AMD-BLR.

Happy reading, safe landings!

Nice quick AVGeek trip report, I occasionally watch some of the popular ones online too.

I have from second hand opinion that Akasa has a way to go to reach the efficiency of IndiGo, but is still refreshingly different.

IndiGo is like the Maruti of the airline industry with its operational reach and efficient, repeatable processes.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Courtesy and good behaviour (these don't cost any money) with passengers come with proper grooming and regular refresher training courses for the crew.

Looks like you’ve fallen afoul of the infamous IndiGo efficiency-over-service attitude.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Have you seen the interiors of an Alliance Air flight?

Lowest fare, nothing else matters.

Alliance Air is still with the Government of India. The Tatas acquired Air India and Air India Express.

Originally Posted by ricky_speed

I'd just rather fly a plane that doesn't need an MCAS to counter what appears to be an inherent design flaw. Of course, I totally understand Akasa would've got a sweet sweet deal to buy the plane despite. Just to clarify, I don't think it's unsafe to fly it, because Boeing finally shared with airlines and pilots (after the two incidents) that an MCAS exists and how to override it.

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

I understand Boeing have made significant changes to the Max now in terms of how the airspeed sensors ( more redundant) and also changes to the MCAS software.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maneuv...em?wprov=sfla1

Angle of attack sensors.

Just a slight OT clarification on the MCAS related fears or aversion to the 737 Max: All modern fly-by-wire aircraft have systems to address inconsistencies in aircraft performance or to provide safety barriers in case pilots inadvertently reach or exceed the aircraft operational limits. This includes the Airbus A320.

The re-engine of the A320 (NEO) has led to significant differences in the behaviour of the aircraft in all stages of flight, which would also have been the case with the 737 and the CFM LEAP engines (that are also an option on the A320 NEO).

There were two fundamental issues that caused the 737 Max issues, which were the lack of redundancy and the lack of communication of MCAS to pilots.

Whatever the reasons for both, these have been addressed and tested. The system will now not fail due to a single sensor failure, and should a failure occur all 737 Max pilots are now informed of MCAS and trained to identify and handle related issues.

My point is that if we trust the A320 NEO as an aircraft and the pilots to handle any issues on it, so should we the 737 Max and her pilots post the rigorous reevaluation and recertification.

I know that the 737 is not a fly by wire aircraft. The latest re-engine however resulted in issues that could only be solved by software, which makes it a kind of hybrid now. There is a Mentour Pilot video explaining the whole episode, good viewing for anyone interested.

[mxx]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Of course, we cannot forgive Boeing for ignoring the warnings of its own engineers, manipulating the FAA's trust and rushing an improperly tested design into service to match competition.

My problem is not with Max itself (as you rightly said 737MAX is not the first aircraft to crash due to design flaws), but Boeing. Which even after the first crash was more concerned about covering up and shifting blame than fixing the flaws. How do I trust products from such a company so soon. Maybe after another few years if there are no problems , then I might trust Boeing again.

[AppyS]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Go Air/Go First is a better choice as they are in quite a few respects better than the aviation Frankenstein Indigo.

Last 4 times I flew Go Air since December, it has been either delayed or cancelling flights randomly. Air Asia and Air India seem to be however picking up on service quality, after coming under the Tata umbrella. Especially Air Asia, I feel the staff has undergone a cultural shift, while they seemed tacky and rude in the past, they seem more welcoming now.

P. S : My 2 cents, given I'm not a frequent flier.