On July 12th, Vistara announced a partnership with the health and wellbeing app "Shyft" to enhance passengers' wellness experience onboard its flights. Let's have a look at what India's full-service carrier has in store.

"Feel the Pause" by Vistara

Vistara has really gone the extra mile in terms of passenger centricity; the airline has indeed committed to enhancing its passengers' experience on board by offering a mix of one-of-a-kind audiovisual content across its in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems.

The Indian carrier has added 17 hours of wellness-related content to its IFE across its fleet of 53 aircraft, which includes 41 Airbus A320s, five Airbus A321neo, and five Boeing B787-9s. The content ranges from tracks for guided meditations to soothing music and sleep-inducing stories. The primary aim of "Fell the Pause", the name given to the newly-added content, is to help passengers fight fatigue, lack of sleep, stiffness of muscles, fear of heights and turbulence, and anxiety. To develop this unique content, Vistara has partnered with the health and wellness app "Shyft", whose certified professionals developed the content.

For the occasion, Shyft's founder, Pooja Khanna, stated:

Shyft's videos for stretches, sleep stories, breath work exercises and meditation will help flyers relax their body and mind, improve sleep and aid work.

Vistara A320 cabin
Photo: Vistara 

New amenity kits for business class passengers

Besides the unique and novel wellness-focused content, Vistara is also looking to physically elevate passengers' well-being onboard by offering new amenity kits to its long-haul business class passengers, starting August 1st.

The new amenity has been designed by Forest Essentials, an Indian brand that puts Ayurveda at the center of its products. Ayurveda is an alternative, natural system of medicine born in India 3,000 years ago. The cornerstone of this alternative medicine is the belief that disease is linked to an imbalance or stress in one's consciousness. Therefore, ayurvedic products aim to regain a balance between the body, mind, spirit, and the environment. Forest Essentials' new luxurious, ayurvedic amenity kits include a sleep spray, lip balm, a facial tonic mist, and ultra-rich body milk. All products are realized with natural, seasonal, pure, and fresh ingredients.

Forest Essentials executive director, Samrath Bedi, pointed out the importance for an airline to offer a diversified and customer-centric product. Moreover, the executive director underlined the increased demand for environmentally friendly and wellness products:

They (the customers) are actively embracing purpose and sustainability-driven products (...). Keeping this in mind, we have curated unique wellness offerings to the Vistara traveler, while coming together with another "Made in India" brand, to offer a truly world-class experience.

The new amenity kits will be available on all flights to and from London Heathrow, Paris, and Frankfurt operated by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

A holistic wellness experience

The new wellness audiovisual content and luxurious amenity kits by Forest Essentials are the newest addition to Vistara's product strategy. Indeed, the airline had also recently developed new boarding and landing music, as well as healthy meal options.

Vistara onboard dining experience
Photo: Vistara

The aim of the Indian carrier is, therefore, that of offering a holistic wellness experience to its customers on board. Vistara's Chief Commercial Officer, Deepak Rajawat, commented that the airline is working to progressively enhance the travel experience, to the point that they have now become the first Indian airline to offer health- and wellness-focused entertainment options. For the occasion, Mr Rajawat commented:

We are excited to bring more elements of delight to our customers, and enhance their journey. (...) We are sure passengers will appreciate these enhancements, and these will become yet another reason for them to enjoy traveling with India's finest full-service carrier.

Furthermore, in 2020 Vistara was the first airline to introduce a yoga-inspired in-flight safety video, where safety information is conveyed through different yoga asenas, or postures. Moreover, the airline's Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft features a wellness lighting solution, called Human Centric Lighting, while mood lighting solution is available on the whole fleet. Both light-based solutions aim to enhance the relaxing experience of passengers on board.

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A successful airline

Vistara marketing strategies have so far proved successful; the carrier is India's highest-rated airline on Skytrax, with a 4-star rating, and it has won several "Best Airline" awards, including:

  1. CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Excellence Award (CSR Journal, 2022)
  2. Featured amongst the best organizations for women 2022 (The Economic Times Best Organization for Women 2022)
  3. Best airline in India and Southern India (Skytrax 2021)
  4. Best Airline Staff in India and Southern India (Skytrax 2021)
  5. Favorite Domestic Airline (Condé Nast Traveller Reader's Travel Awards 2021)

The carrier, which is a 51:49 Joint Venture (JV) between Tata Sons Private Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA), started operations in 2015, and it has recently achieved the milestone of flying 35 million passengers.

Do you think Vistara's new wellness-centred marketing strategy will be a success? Let us know in the comment below!