After the war over slashing fares, airlines are locked in a battle to win over passengers by offering superior comfort, on board or off.

?Keeping passenger comfort in mind, we have decided to make special seating arrangements for our passengers at the city airport. Senior citizens, women and children will get preference,? said Bharat Mahadevan, general manager (east), Singapore Airlines.

In a matching move, Thai Airways has announced that in the absence of its exclusive seating zone at the airport, passengers can now avail of the Oberoi group?s special lounge more often.

?Starting from a foot massage in the lounge to making special arrangements in the hotel right on the airport compound, passenger comfort is definitely our top priority,? said Thai?s district sales manager (east) S.C. Kapoor.

Watching the developments with avid interest and trying to match up to them is Indian Airlines, whose attention is now mostly focussed on bettering in-flight facilities.

?We will change the in-flight cuisine regularly to give our passengers a taste of India. Our motto is to make travel as comfortable as possible,? said Ashok Sharma, general manager (public relations) of the national carrier.

The airline has already introduced a hot/cold towel facility for passengers, including those travelling in the economy class. ?With time, we hope to extend several of our business-class facilities to other classes,? said an official.

Given that most Calcuttans on long-duration flights use Singapore as a transit stopover, Singapore Airlines has decided to provide special facilities to its passengers once they reach there. ?We have introduced a Meet and Assist Service, which entitles a transit passenger to a special assistant who is conversant in several languages and can provide all kinds of help to the passenger,? added Mahadevan.

Travel agents in Calcutta confirmed that people are now not interested only in the price factor. They check out the level of comfort that an airline ensures for its passengers before booking a ticket.

?The shortest route to the destination and the best available comfort are the twin priorities for Calcuttans,? added Anil Punjabi, chairman (east) of Travel Agents Federation of India.