All you need to know about India’s first subscription-based airline

Prince Air, a New Delhi-based start-up created by Sanket Raj Singh is now offering a one-of-a-kind subscription-based airline service for unlimited travel on its private jets.

Founded on the concept that exclusive experiences can be inclusive, Prince Air is designed to offer its services to patrons for a fraction of the usual cost – making its member travel affordable and accessible to everyone. Its service is also faster and more efficient, by cutting down the time spent at airports. That means a round trip flight from Delhi to Mumbai and back, would save at least 3 hours via Prince Air.

Prince Air cuts the cost by up to 50% of the usual commercial airline cost for flying business class in India- and up to 95% of what charter operators charge to fly on a private jet.

How much does it cost?

Singh said: “Earlier, our plans were to Introduce Bombardier/Embraer Jets. Our monthly subscription cost was in between 1.5 Lakh INR to 2 Lakh INR where a member could fly Unlimited to-from New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru on our private jets, but I think in a place like India, we had to think out of the box. Something which has never been done or tried in India before.”

Owing by the pandemic of the past year, the aviation industry was hit hard both in India and globally. Though it caused much disruption, it gave the company time to re-think what they could do, so that Prince Air could become affordable for every person in India.

“Keeping in mind the ticket price for economy class, business class and private jets – we came up with something which would be a game changer for the Indian aviation industry. That means cutting the cost of travelling business class in India by almost by 50%, in a business model where the same service can be enjoyed by economy class passengers as well as people who fly on a private jet in India,” he added.

Monthly subscription, the way forward

As it currently stands, private aviation is a very immature market in India and has not yet been as democratized as it could be. That means until now, only HNIs and VIPs could afford the price tag attached to a private jet as well as business class in India. “That was then, this is now. We thought of changing the aircraft and getting a bigger aircraft like an Airbus A-320 or A-321, comprising a complete business class airline that offers a private jet experience. Instead of having 180 to 220 economy seats per aircraft, we would only have 90-100 Business/First Class seats – giving our members more space and comfort, all while travelling at a budgeted price,” he said.

A realistic model of the system work as follows: The monthly subscription cost to fly unlimited to-from New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru per member would be USD 747, which is 54500 INR based on the 5 tickets/seats we would offer each member monthly. This means a member can fly across New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru as frequently as they want for just USD 747 – a monthly cost of INR 54500.

Which routes will be introduced

On average, a return Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi Business Class Seat with Domestic Carriers cost around USD 493, which equates to 36000 INR. For a Delhi-Bengaluru-Delhi return flight, the cost is usually USD 575 which is INR 42000, and even more on certain days. A Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi costs anywhere between 8 to 10 lakhs on a private jet in India.

“We hope to expand and connect the entire nation with Prince Air in future. Our second and third phase sectors would be Amritsar, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad. A member can fly to all sectors at the same price on our private jets, which is only USD 747 monthly,” he said.

Digital-savvy app

The booking process for Prince Air will be completely digitised and app-based. Travellers will be able to use the arrive and fly process which will include customisable services across several strategic pillars, from bookings to arrivals. They will be allowed to skip airport security and will only need to arrive 30 mins prior to departure. The private jet flights would be accessed from a different entry point. A dedicated member services team to assist members will also be available at all times.

Privileges for members

A member can come and enjoy our lounge before the flight, with complimentary beverages and snacks and a serene environment to relax in before take-off.. This is a close community of members where you can meet and greet each other and relax at our lounge. We will be doing private events only for our members.

Singh believes that “there is definitely a market out there for a service like Prince Air, where people are looking for something which has a different experience when it comes to flying private, and is in between a commercial airline and a charter company in India. This is where Prince Air fits in where we allow our members to travel in style and comfort but at a fraction of cost. It’s a new way to jet off in style with luxury and privacy but without the price tag. It would have the coolest looking jet’s in India.”

Luxury and more

With full optimism and the bright-eyed world-view of someone with a revolutionary new service, Singh comments: “I’m definitely sure people would love Prince Air as there are very few options in India for air travel. It’s always better to offer a choice when it comes to flying by air and people would spend little extra to fly on our private jets. To minimise the risk of catching COVID, people would want to feel safe when flying and with a service on a private jet like an all business class airline, it definitely would be safer to travel.”

Prince Air is currently in talks with some of India’s largest travel portal companies, which would help them sell subscriptions across their platform to acquire members and become their travel partners.

Services such as chauffeured driven luxury car services for airport pick up and drop off will also be available to Prince Air members. Prince Air is making prospective arrangements with hospitality brands for exclusive benefits as well for its members. With this, we would be collaborating with some high-end brands and passing on the benefits to our members.