Taj Group of Hotels ties up for frequent flyer programmes

India's Taj Group of Hotels has partnered with three global airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Sri Lankan Airlines and Etihad Airways for their frequent flyer programmes. The partnership envisages the travellers of three air-carriers earning airline miles while staying at Taj property, a company press release said. "A customer will earn valuable airline miles on the frequent flyer programme while staying at any of the group's luxury hotels, luxury grand palaces or the Gateway hotels," the release said. The Taj will leverage this channel to promote various hospitality offers across destinations and hotels to reach out to customers and the airline would use this to help its members and frequent flyers earn miles on their travels and their stay as well, it said.

Etihad Airways to launch Hyderabad-Abu Dhabi flight

Etihad Airways will offer air travellers a greater choice of flights and improved connections as part of its winter 2009-10 schedule, with a new service to Hyderabad in India and additional services to Athens, Istanbul, Beirut, Cairo, and Kathmandu among the highlights. The new winter flying programme starts on October 25 and by January 2010 it will be almost 15 per cent larger than the same period last year with 950 flights planned to operate each week. The new flights to Hyderabad from November 2009 will join Chicago and Cape Town as the airline's newest routes.

"The winter programme for 2009-10 demonstrates our commitment to provide greater depth to the Etihad Airways global flight network. The increased frequencies will provide air travellers with a greater choice of flights into and out of Abu Dhabi and better connectivity with the rest of our network," James Hogan, Etihad Airways chief executive, said. Etihad Airways will take delivery of three new A320 aircraft during the winter period which will support the frequency increases to short and medium haul destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Tourism Malaysia packages are a big hit in India

The "One Malaysia Endless Experience" package jointly promoted by Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which offers an affordable package to woo more tourists, is becoming a hit in the Indian market. "The response was overwhelming. We received 1,500 bookings from passengers since we launched the campaign last Monday in Delhi. We have offered 8,000 seats and by the end of the campaign next month it could exceed 75 per cent," Azahar Hamid, MAS regional manager for South Asia said.

Tourism Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen, who arrived in Delhi to energise bilateral tourism between India and Malaysia, launched the "One Malaysia" marketing campaign to draw more tourists to Malaysia. The package, which includes a four-day/three-night stay, costs only Rs17,000 (RM1,260), and is about 30 per cent cheaper than the normal packages. Regardless of the Influenza A(H1N1) disease threatening the travel industry and the global economic slowdown, the ministry expects 600,000 Indians to visit Malaysia this year, up from last year's 500,000.

Domestic airfares nosedive due to H1N1 fears

Air fares in several domestic sectors have crashlanded and flying to places such as Goa, Mumbai and Bangalore is once again possible for less than Rs 2,000 if you booking the right flight at the right time. Travel experts say airlines have responded to falling passenger loads and swine flu fears to bring fares to their lowest point in two years. Even flights to usually expensive destinations such as Kolkata, Chennai, Guwahati and Jammu are almost 30%-40% lower and tickets are available for anything between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 if you shop around for the right fare. "Only two months ago, domestic fares were so high that people were choosing to travel abroad because of the attractive fare packages. A ticket to a very well-connected destination, came at between Rs 3,500 and Rs 4,500 even in low-cost carriers," a travel expert said.

"But the situation has turned on its head to benefit economy-class travellers." GoAir, for instance, is offering Mumbai-Goa tickets for Rs 1,975; a discount of Rs 300 brings the fare down to sub-2,000 levels. Spice Jet has pitched the same ticket at 2,150 minus Rs 150 (to give you a ticket for Rs 2,000). Even full-service carrier Kingfisher's ticket is priced at Rs 2,250. Similarly, if you book a Mumbai-Banglore ticket for Sept 1 either on Indigo or GoAir, you can expect to get a ticket for as low as Rs 1,553. The maximum fare, offered by even full-service carriers, is also between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000. You can get air tickets for Delhi, too, at Rs 1,998. And tickets for destinations like Jammu, which are usually priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 8,000 are priced at Rs 1,803 for September 1.

Air India flight makes emergency landing at Chennai

The Chennai airport was put on a "full emergency" after an Air India flight to Chennai carrying 141 passengers had a tyre burst while taking off from Singapore. The flight landed safe at 11.15 am. "Nose wheel problem, due to technical", radioed the pilot of IC 556 Air India A320 flight to Chennai air traffic control (ATC) as it neared Indian airspace at 9 am. "Assistance required?" asked the traffic controller. But the pilot declined. It seemed like a normal exchange between a pilot and an air traffic controller when an aircraft experiences technical problem. But traffic controllers suspected that there was something more to it and declared a full emergency around 11 am.

Airport officials and emergency team personnel heaved a sign of relief when the aircraft made a safe landing at 11.15 am, despite having a burst tyre. Fire and rescue services personnel, a medical team and engineers monitored the aircraft as it touched down. The engineering team made preliminary checks and found that one of the rear tyres was completely damaged. Nevertheless, the aircraft taxied to terminal for passengers to disembark. "The aircraft landed from the St Thomas Mount side on the main runway and vacated the runway after five minutes. As there are four sets of tyres in the rear, the burst did not affect the landing. All the 141 passengers of the flight are safe," said acting airport director Ramgopal.

GoAir introduces 'Festival Offer'

Low budget carrier GoAir has introduced a festival offer of Rs 1500 per ticket, all inclusive one way fare. The special fare is available only for limited seats and the booking period is open only till Aug 27, 2009. The flying period is valid till March 31, 2010. Tickets under this offer are non-refundable. The offer is not available to travel agents and consolidators and cannot be combined with any other offer or scheme. GoAir is one of the no frill carriers that made a modest profit while others in the aviation sector were bleeding.

Air fares between India and Trinidad to become cheaper

Indian High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago Malay Mishra has announced that state-owned Caribbean Airlines and Air India are working on a project to reduce air fares between the two countries. He told a meeting that when the programme becomes operational "an airline ticket purchased in Trinidad and Tobago will connect a Caribbean Airlines flight with Air India in New York." Travel for trade, cultural and religious reasons between both countries continues to escalate, but there could be a higher number of visits if the air fares are reduced. In June, India Tourism and Air India officials based in New York met several travel agents and discussed ways to boost tourism from Trinidad and Tobago to India.

American Airlines hikes baggage fees on India route

Fort Worth based American Airlines Inc. raised fees for passengers checking a second bag on some international routes, matching similar pricing by other carriers. The carrier will charge passengers flying from the U.S. to India and several European countries $50 for a second checked bag, passengers can check one bag at no charge. Besides India, the destinations for the new fee include Belgium, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

Swiss Air to add First Class on its flights to Zurich from Mumbai/Delhi

Swiss Air will introduce a first class section on its flights on its Mumbai-Zurich route beginning September and its new Delhi-Zurich route in October, the company said. The new section is in addition to its business and economy classes.Holger Hatty, member of board and chief commercial officer of Swiss Air said that his airline will introduce a new wide body Airbus A330-300 type plane with eight first class seats, 45 business class seats and 183 economy class seats on India routes, starting 2nd September from Mumbai and 13th October from Delhi.

Jet Airways Konnect launches new domestic flights

Effective September 3, 2009 onwards, Jet Airways Konnect, Jet Airways’ all-economy no-frills service, will launch services on several key domestic routes previously operated by Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, aboard state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 aircraft. With the launch of these new services, Jet Airways Konnect will further enhance domestic connectivity across its network to/from the major metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata to several smaller cities across India. Effective September 3, 2009 Jet Airways Konnect will launch/enhance services on the Kolkata-Delhi/Bagdogra/Guwahati-Kolkata sectors; followed by the introduction of new services on the Delhi-Pune/Guwahati-Delhi and Delhi-Chennai sectors, effective September 15, 2009.

Effective September 16, 2009, Jet Airways Konnect will launch/enhance services on the Chennai-Delhi, Delhi-Guwahati-Bagdodgra-Delhi, Delhi-Bagdodgra-Guwahati-Delhi, Delhi-Bengaluru, Bengaluru-Mumbai and Mumbai-Delhi sectors; and on the Mumbai-Aurangabad/Chandigarh/Kolkata-Mumbai sectors, effective September 17, 2009. Effective September 18, 2009, Jet Airways Konnect will launch/enhance services on the Delhi-Hyderabad/Mumbai-Delhi sectors; followed by the commencement of new services on the Delhi-Chennai/Kolkata-Delhi, Mumbai-Udaipur-Jaipur-Delhi and Delhi-Jaipur-Udaipur-Delhi sectors, effective October 1, 2009.

According to Mr. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO, Jet Airways, "Jet Airways Konnect, with its low-fare, high quality services, has proven to be very popular with travellers across India. With strong demand for Konnect services on these domestic routes, we are confident that the new flights will be well-appreciated." With the launch of these new services, as of October 1, 2009, Jet Airways Konnect service will operate over 180 daily flights across India.

Air India to fly all economy flights to West Asia

Air India, the flag carrier operated by National Aviation Co. of India Ltd, will replace several of its West Asian flights that offer business class travel with all-economy flights of its discount carrier in an attempt to reduce costs and increase revenue. Business class travel has been declining globally amid an economic slowdown, according to numbers released by the International Air Transport Association. Global travel on premium tickets declined 23.8% in May from a year earlier, economy travel was down 7.6% in the same month. "There is hardly any business class required in West Asia," said an Air India official.

The carrier’s low-cost affiliate, Air India Express, operates 186 flights a week between India and West Asia and South East Asia. The airline will increase its services to West Asia to make up for the flights Air India plans to pull, said a government official. Air India has committed to undertake an overhaul of its business operations, restructure its massive Rs.15,241 crore debt, raise funds through a public offering in fiscal 2011 and convert three out of four of its flights into low-fare services.

Indian Navy Sea Harrier fighter jet crashes off Goa

An Indian Navy Sea Harrier fighter jet crashed off the Goa coast on Friday and the pilot is feared to have been killed, an official said. The plane was on an exercise with a naval ship, the official said, adding that efforts were on to locate the jet.

Air India Express to start new flights from Muscat

Air India Express announced the launch of a new flight which will connect Muscat with Amritsar-New Delhi (via Abu Dhabi). The airline is also exploring two additional flights a week between Muscat and Kochi (via Mangalore) on Wednesdays and Fridays. The state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which is a 185-seater, will fly on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with effect from September 4. The announcement was made at a press conference in Muscat, chaired by Indian Ambassador to the Sultanate, Anil Wadhwa, and Air India Express manager for Oman, Mohit Sain. These flights will depart Muscat at 20.35 hrs and arrive at Amritsar at 03.25 hrs the following day. John, airport manager, was also present at the press meet.

Welcoming the introduction of additional flights, Wadhwa said, "These flights will allow connections to places which were hitherto difficult to reach." Sain, who has recently taken over as manager, assured that the airline would explore direct flights to Ahmedabad and Goa. Air India Express in the Oman sector has not suffered any losses, Sain informed. Air India Express, the low-cost subsidiary of Air India, commenced its operations to Oman in May 2005, coinciding with the 50th year of diplomatic ties between the Sultanate and India. Air India Express currently operates four flights a week to Kozhikode, three to Thiruvananthapuram, two to Kochi and three to Mangalore from Muscat. As the only carrier operating international flights between Salalah and Kerala, Air India Express has three flights a week to Kochi, two to Kozhikode and one to Thiruvananthapuram from Salalah.

In addition to Air India Express operations, Air India also provides connectivity with daily non-stop flights to Delhi, Ahmedabad via Mumbai, Chennai via Kochi and Kozhikode and three weekly flights to Hyderabad via Bangalore. Air India Express flies to 14 international destinations — Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Muscat, Salalah, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait, Colombo and Dhaka from 17 Indian cities, namely Kozhikode, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Amritsar, Srinagar, Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mangalore and Tiruchirapally.

Oman invites bids for development of Sohar International Airport

Oman's government has invited bids for Sohar Airport's key airfield infrastructure project. This phase includes building a 4,000-metre runway with turning loops at the ends, in addition to a full-length taxiway with high speed exits. With a width of 75 metres, the runway will be designed to handle some of the largest aircraft in operation today, including Airbus' Superjumbo A380. Other works envisaged in this package are airside roads, power and water networks, fuel fire fighting systems, and navigation aids. Sohar Airport, which is designed to handle 500,000 passengers and 100,000 tonnes of air cargo per year, will also serve as an emergency alternative to Muscat International Airport.

Flydubai still committed to starting flights to India

Low cost airline Flydubai remains committed to its Indian hubs, despite postponing three of its routes this month, its CEO said. "India will be operational. We are committed to operating to India," Ghaith Al Ghaith said. Last month the Dubai based carrier was forced to postpone all three of its routes to Lucknow, Coimbatore and Chandigarh due to operational issues. Passengers affected by the cancellation were given a full refund and a free voucher for travel on any of the airline’s routes until the end of November. With more than one million Indians residing in the UAE, India is an important route for the budget carrier.

Regional budget airlines could grow by up to 10 percent in the next two years, Al Ghaith added. Flydubai launched in June amid the global economic downturn, which has seen a slump in passenger traffic. The no frills airline, which is wholly owned by the government of Dubai, has already launched five routes to Beirut, Amman, Damascus, Aleppo and Alexandria, and is due to launch its sixth route to Djibouti in September. Flydubai is competing with other low cost airlines including Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways and Sharjah based Air Arabia.

Jey Airways to post profits on London sector this winter

The London operations of Jet Airways will become profitable this winter schedule, which lasts October through March, a top company official said. The company will also introduce a larger aircraft on that route in October. "Jet Airways claims a market share of 37% in the India-UK market. We are expecting our India-UK operations to be profitable in winter season," Anita Goyal, executive vice president, network planning and revenue management, said on the sidelines of its 17th annual general meeting.

Air India offers special fares on Hyderabad-Mumbai sector

Air India has announced a short term special fare on its flight AI-601 from Hyderabad to Mumbai. The flight AI-601 departs from Hyderabad at 0410 hrs and arrives in Mumbai 0520 hrs. The special fare on the sector is Rs 1929 and for three days before departure it will be Rs 1829, an AI release said. These fares which will be available till September 17 and the travel is to be completed by September 20. User Development Fee as applicable will be payable separately.

IBS Software signs up with S7 Airlines Cargo

IBS Software announced that S7 Cargo acting on behalf of S7 Airlines and GLOBUS airline, based in Russia, has signed up for iCargo, its new-generation cargo management solution. Leading IT solutions provider to the global travel, transportation and logistics industry, IBS Software announced that S7 Cargo acting on behalf of S7 Airlines and GLOBUS airline, based in Russia, has signed up for iCargo, its new-generation cargo management solution. The S7 Cargo has chosen iCargoNet, the SaaS offering of iCargo, that will be hosted from IBS’ state-of-the-art data centres. With this the total number of cargo customers for IBS has grown to 19 in a very short time.

iCargo, developed in association with a Core Group of Influencers comprising 6 leading airlines in the world, has, within a span of a few years grown to be an industry leading air cargo management solution globally. The IBS solution (www.ibsplc.com) was selected by S7 Cargo for its strong customer service and proven ability to help cargo carriers in significantly increasing operational effectivity and cost efficiency. iCargoNet, the hosted version of iCargo lowers the total cost of ownership and facilitates transaction-based pricing, whilst bringing new benefits such as ease of global distribution and ability to add new modules and system features as the business needs of the airlines grow and change.

SITA awarded CUPPS certification

A new standard in passenger processing has arrived with the announcement today that SITA is the first platform provider to achieve CUPPS (Common Use Passenger Processing System) compliance certification and to successfully complete its CUPPS Pilot program. The SITA CUPPS Pilot started in January 2009 at Orlando International Airport with the check-in and boarding of WestJet passengers, followed recently by Continental Airlines passengers. The culmination comes today with the certification demonstrating that SITA's platform is fully compliant with the pre-released version of the IATA (International Air Transport Association) CUPPS Technical Specification. Catherine Mayer, SITA's Vice-President for Airport Services, said, "This is a great day for the air transport community as it brings common use passenger processing to a more efficient level. It is also another milestone in SITA's long history of community leadership in the common use arena."

"SITA first developed CUTE (common user terminal equipment) with the airlines in 1984 and is now the first to receive certification for our platform using the new industry adopted CUPPS Recommended Practice. This certification demonstrates that our systems can run multiple applications according to the CUPPS standards. In fact, SITA's AirportConnect Open is the only fully-integrated common use platform supporting CUPPS, CUTE, and web-based applications, as well as CUSS kiosk applications." SITA's AirportConnect Open is a proven, stable platform that has been in operation since 2004. It provides a low-risk migration path to CUPPS compared with both new platforms that may be introduced by other companies and with existing platforms where CUPPS, CUTE, and CUSS Kiosk capabilities are not integrated as a single system. SITA is the world's leading specialist in air transport communication and IT solutions.

SITA delivers and manages business solutions for airline, airport, GDS, government and other customers over the world’s most extensive network, which forms the communications backbone of the global air transport industry. SITA's portfolio includes managed global communications, infrastructure and outsourcing services, as well as services for airline commercial management and passenger operations, flight operations, aircraft operations and air-to-ground communications, airport management and operations, baggage operations, transportation security and border management, cargo operations and more. With a customer service team of over 1,600 staff around the world, SITA invests significantly in achieving best-in-class customer service, providing integrated local and global support for both its communications and IT application services.

SITA has two main subsidiaries, OnAir, which is the leading provider of in-flight connectivity, and CHAMP Cargosystems, the world's only IT company dedicated solely to air cargo. SITA also operates two joint ventures providing services to the air transport community, Aviareto for aircraft asset management and CertiPath for secure electronic identity management. SITA is one of the world's most international companies. Its global reach is based on local presence, with services for around 550 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. In 2009, the company celebrates 60 years in business. Set up in 1949 with 11 member airlines, SITA today employs people of more than 140 nationalities, speaking over 70 different languages. SITA had consolidated revenues of over US$1.47 billion in 2008.

Travelocity Global acquires Travelguru India

Travelocity Global, the US based online travel firm, has acquired Travelguru, one of India's largest online hotel distribution networks, for an undisclosed sum. Industry sources, who termed the deal as a distressed sale, pegged the acquisition size at between Rs 45 crore and Rs 50 crore. Travelocity Global said that the Travelguru will remain a separate entity with co-founder and CEO Ashwin Damera continuing to head its operations. Travelguru between its three offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore employs close to 150 people. Roshan Mendis, regional vice-president of Travelocity Asia Pacific, said the acquisition will complement the company's online business and help it access more than 4,000 hotels in India.

Industry sources said that Travelguru has been in the red for quite sometime and Damera had been trying hard to find a buyer for over a year now, reaching out to the likes of expedia.com, makemytrip.com and Cox & Kings. Travelguru since its inception in 2005 has received two rounds of venture capital funding. It raised $25 million in 2006 -- $10 million from Sequoia Capital India, which the latter followed up with a $15 million co-investment with Battery Venture. In 2007, Travelguru acquired travel portal, desiya.com, reportedly for $25 million in 2007.