Deccan outsources cabin crew

Air hostess schools to pay airline for in-flight training.

Air Deccan will now outsource cabin crew from training institutes and get paid for it in the bargain.

"We are in talks with cabin crew training institutes and are likely to conclude agreements in a week's time," said Air Deccan Chief Operating Officer Warwick Brady.

Sources close to the development said the airline was in talks with Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, Air Hostess Academy and a training institute in Hyderabad.

They added that the airline would be deploying over 300 cabin crew members in a year through this.

While this arrangement will give aspiring cabin crew of various institutes the chance to train on the job, the airline will not have to hire additional cabin crew. The institutes will pay Air Deccan for giving their trainees this opportunity.

"Foreign cabin crew training institutes have also expressed their willingness to take part in this innovative model," the sources said.

They added that the airline was in talks with aircraft maintenance companies to work out a similar arrangement which would enable it to cut down the cost of regular maintenance.

This is the latest in a series of innovations by the airline that introduced tickets for Re 1 to popularise air travel. The company's latest scheme offers 300,000 tickets at Rs 6 for travel between October 30 and March 25 next year.

GR Gopinath, managing director, Air Deccan, said: "A few months ago we celebrated our third anniversary by offering tickets at Rs 3. We are now offering 300,000 tickets at Rs 6 encompassing a huge travel period. This will encourage and enable many more people, especially first-time fliers and rail passengers, to take to the skies. In the past, even during peak seasons and holidays, we have boldly offered tickets for Re 1 and Rs 3, as well as a fly for free offer, which received tremendous public response."