Norwegian Air Shuttle to start daily Scandinavia-Dubai flight

Europe's fifth-largest low-cost airline and the second-largest airline in Scandinavia, Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA has announced that it will increase its four-days-a week timetable for flights from Scandinavia to Dubai to a daily service during the winter season 2009-10. The privately-owned carrier, which launched Dubai flights last autumn, will fly three times weekly from Oslo and Stockholm each and once weekly from Copenhagen starting from October 15.

Air France to start Airbus A380 flights to Dubai

Air France has announced it will reduce its services to Dubai from 14 weekly flights to a daily service, but will offset the reduction by introducing its A380 aircraft on the route. The superjumbo is scheduled to operate on the route from January 18, 2010. The change is part of the airline's 2009 winter schedule.

Saudi Arabia & India sign expanded air services agreement

Saudi Arabia and India have amended their air services agreement to allow for more airlines to serve the two countries and to increase the weekly capacity. Currently, only Saudi Arabian Airlines and Air India operate services between the two countries. The new amendment enables both sides to 'designate any number of airlines as they wish' to operate services, according to India's aviation ministry. The two countries have also agreed to an open skies agreement for all cargo services with full third and fourth freedom traffic rights.

Taj Hotels joins Etihad frequent flyer program

Etihad Guest, the award-winning loyalty programme from Etihad Airways, has announced its latest exciting new hotel partner to boost the extensive benefits already available to its 650,000 plus members, the Indian Hotels Company. The Indian Hotels Company is one of Asia's largest hospitality groups. The group offers three distinct hotel brands, collectively known as Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces: Taj (luxury, full-service hotels, resorts and palaces), Taj Exotica (resorts and spas) and Gateway Hotels (mid-market, full service hotels and resorts). The group comprises more than 60 hotels in 45 locations across India, ranging from historic sites and pilgrim centres to hill stations and beaches.

The company also offers international hotels in Malaysia, the United Kingdom, United States of America, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa, the Middle East and Australia. Etihad Guest members will earn 500 miles per stay at the group's Taj hotels and 250 miles per stay at Taj Exotica and Gateway Hotels. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways' chief commercial officer, said,"With Etihad Guest, we seek to offer our members the most exclusive of benefits when they join our award-winning loyalty programme. The Indian Hotels Company certainly meets these high standards and we are very pleased to have them on board." Ajoy Misra, senior vice president, sales and marketing for the Indian Hotel Company, said, "Like Etihad Airways, we are always looking at ways to offer our guests something extra."

"Our hotel guests are used to sampling the highest standards of hospitality on the ground and now they can look forward to the same experience in the air, when they fly with Etihad." Etihad currently flies to six destinations in India, the commercial capital Mumbai, the national capital New Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode in Kerala, as well as Chennai The airline will also launch a new service to Hyderabad from November 2009. Mr Misra added, "This is also a strategic partnership - the geographic spread and location of our hotels complements Etihad's own expanding network, especially within India where the airline continues to expand its presence." Etihad Guest was voted best website, best member communication, best bonus promotion and best award redemption at the 2008 global 'Freddie' awards.

Qatar Airways gets world five star airline ranking

Skytrax Research has confirmed that Qatar Airways has been certified as a world five star airline for the 2009/2010 ranking period, repeating it's earlier quality ranking success in this exclusive group of airlines. Commenting on the latest Certification, Edward Plaisted, Skytrax CEO, said,"This 5-Star Airline Certification is the ultimate quality approval that an airline can receive in recognition of its front-line Product and Service quality. We are delighted to see Qatar Airways again measuring up to the highest quality requirements that are inherent in the 5-Star status."

Qatar Airways is the only airline in the Middle East region to have gained this 5-Star Airline certification, and one of just six airlines worldwide that currently meet the exacting and rigorous quality criteria set for this ultimate ranking. The 5-Star Airline status is awarded to airlines achieving the very highest quality performance across all front-line areas that passengers will experience. The 5-Star Airline status recognizes airlines at the forefront of product and service delivery achievement, and are generally the airlines that set trends to be followed by other carriers in due course.

Air India's flight operations still affected after pilots strike

Notwithstanding the announcement of calling off the strike, a majority of the agitating Air India pilots have not resumed duty yet, leaving the flight operations disrupted on the 5th day of the stir today. Only 23 of the 180 executive pilots, who have been agitating against the cut in productivity-linked incentives (PLI), have reported for duty after Capt V K Bhalla, representative of the protesting pilots, announced that they were calling off the strike in deference to government's decision to maintain status quo on cost cutting measures. Hectic discussions continued late in the evening at the Airlines House, headquarters of the erstwhile Indian Airlines, between the pilots and Air India Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jadhav.

Air India issued an order keeping in abeyance the controversial Sept 24 order on cutting the PLI allowance "until a Board Sub-Committee comprising the CMD, Joint Secretary and Financial Adviser of the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Joint Secretary of the Civil Aviation Ministry examine all issues and submit its recommendations to the Board". Capt R L Mathur, an executive pilot who was part of the talks in the Airlines House, announced later that all pilots would be reporting fit and resuming duty "right away". "This direction will apply to pilots all over the country," he said. Air India decided to operate six long haul international flights tomorrow while cancelling the Mumbai-New York and Delhi-New York flights, the airline sources said in Mumbai. Mathur said the CMD has "assured us very clearly that all problems raised by the executive pilots will be considered and that he would take personal interest in the matter".

He said the pilots would first report to Air India doctors for fitness certificates for which special arrangements were being made in Safdarjung and at the IGI Airport, Delhi. "The pilots will join duty as soon as possible," he said. Facing threat of action, the Air India pilots called off their agitation in the morning saying they had received assurances that there would be status quo on the decision relating to cut in their incentives and allowances. "The agitation is being called off in view of the assurances by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel that status quo will continue on issues," Capt Bhalla said.

Bhalla also participated in the talks at the Airlines House. With about 200 pilots reporting sick as a mark of protest over Air India's decision to cut their productivity- linked incentive (PLI) and allowances, over 240 flights were cancelled and the national carrier is estimated to have incurred a loss of over Rs 100 crore. "I apologise to the passengers for the inconvenience caused to them due to the agitation," Bhalla said asking the pilots to join work immediately. Bhalla also thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Patel for intervening in the matter. Government had issued an ultimatum to the pilots to resume duty from midnight last night or face action.

Oman Air all set to start daily Muscat-Paris flights

Headed by the Airline's CEO Peter Hill, Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman displayed its unique style of hospitality at Top Resa, the leading French travel trade exhibition. The four day event that took place in Paris between September 22nd-25th featured a dedicated Oman Air stand manned by sales and marketing staff. Oman Air's Chief Executive Officer Peter Hill explained that Top Resa, the leading international high profile tourism show in France, would help raise the airline's awareness in the French market. Alongside Ministry of Tourism he stated, "We are promoting Oman as one of Arabia's most attractive yet undiscovered countries, which will become more accessible through our new service to Paris. As expected, a steady stream of visitors were welcomed at the Oman Air stand, over what was an extremely busy and fruitful four days."

Effective October 9, Oman Air will commence four weekly non-stop frequencies between Muscat, the airline's operational hub in the Sultanate of Oman, and the French capital, Paris. The airline will operate a Business and Economy class state-of-the-art Airbus A330 on the route. Promoting the new service, Oman Air offered a special attractive Round-Trip Introductory Fare, giving customers the chance to sample the airline's own unique brand of hospitality as well as experience the very special delights that a visit to the Sultanate of Oman affords. In conclusion, Peter Hill pointed out that Oman Air is growing at a phenomenal pace, opening up new routes, and adding new aircraft to the airline's rapidly expanding fleet. Oman Air has recently taken delivery of its first A330-200, becoming the newest operator of the aircraft. Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, the A330 will be configured in an ultra high comfort two-class layout with 20 Business and 196 Economy seats.

Gulf Air starts flights to Najaf in Iraq

Gulf Air, Bahrain's national announced the beginning of its new four times weekly service to Najaf in Iraq. The new service will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays until October 25, after which it will go daily, the airline said.

Jazeera Airways to add additional cabin classes

Low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways plans to add additional cabin classes as part of an effort to build revenues by attracting business and leisure travellers. New management is implementing changes at the Kuwait-based airline, including the new cabin classes as well as targeting other travel segments and adding more bases of operation throughout the region, in a bid to become one of the top regional carriers.

Finnair launches daily New Delhi-Helsinki flight

Finnair is launching daily flights to Delhi from Helsinki today. The route, which began in October 2006, has been expanded due its popularity among both business and leisure travellers. Flights to the Indian capital from Helsinki last just six-and-a-half hours thanks to its location on the great circle route. It is the shortest flight time between India and anywhere in the European Union. The route, which is the only direct link between northern Europe and Delhi, offers Scandinavian-bound passengers onward connections to Baltic Sea destinations in addition to London and Paris. Passengers travelling to the Indian capital can benefit from Delhi's status as a major hub, with flights operating to most major cities in the country.

Indian Railways rushes to the aid of stranded flyers

With the agitation by Air India executive pilots leading to cancellation of scores of flights for the fourth consecutive day, Railways today started operating 'May I Help You' booths at major airports, including Delhi, for the benefit of stranded passengers. "Passenger reservation counters would also start functioning shortly at all major airport terminals," said a senior railway official after Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee announced running special trains from Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore for those stranded. The official said services at the 'May I Help You' booths would be further beefed up if the need arises.

She said an additional coach could be attached to each superfast train to carry the extra passengers as per the instructions of the Minister. This apart, zonal railways have also been instructed to coordinate with airline officials to facilitate the movement of stranded passengers, the official said. All zonal authorities have been asked to provide information to passengers about vacant berths in all express trains at the temporary reservation counters and help booths at major airports, she said. Banerjee, earlier in the day, said she has asked Union minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy to arrange a special service of the Shipping Corporation of India tomorrow to bring back stranded air passengers at Port Blair.

Air India to pay staff incentives soon

Air India on Tuesday said that it would pay productivity-linked incentive (PLI) to all sections of employees on October 7. "Air India will pay the August PLI payable in September on October 7," Air India's executive director, Jitendra Bhargava, said. September salaries have already been paid to the employees' respective bank accounts, he said. The PLI will be paid in full, Bhargava added. The national carrier has cancelled 14 international and 79 domestic flights today, the fourth day of the strike by a section of its executive pilots protesting against the up to 50 per cent cut in their PLIs effected by the management. Bhargava said that today 116 pilots from Indian Airlines and 72 from Air India reported sick.

AirAsia to start new routes to India

AirAsia, Asia's leading low cost airline, will fly to Kochi, Trivandrum and Kolkata come December, in a move to expand its network in Southern India. AsiaAsia Group's Regional Head of Commercial Kathleen Tan said AirAsia was flying now to Tiruchirappalli and would spread its wings to other destinations in Southern India this year. "For the fourth quarter and next year, AirAsia will focus on building our network in India where there is huge demand," she said. Elaborating on the Indian sector, Tan said AirAsia was looking at tapping destinations like Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and AirAsia's long-haul affiliate, AirAsia X, would look further at Mumbai and Delhi.

She said the Tiruchirappalli sector received overwhelming response from the population in Southern India who visited Kuala Lumpur and used it as a gateway to enter Southeast Asia. Tan said the low cost carrier had opened up the flying experience as people not just travel for holidays but also for shopping or medical treatment. She said AirAsia's low cost model also boosted domestic tourism as the airline's huge network enabled more Malaysians to take short domestic holidays to Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Miri and Tawau.

Angsana Dubai Hotel and Suites to be closed

Damas Hotels LLC and Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts have agreed to terminate the hotel management contract for the five star Angsana Dubai Hotel and Suites. The hotel will cease to operate as of September 30 and will be converted into residential units that are expected to be sold on a vacant possession basis. Staff will also be compensated and helped to find new jobs, Bernold Schroeder, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Hotel Operations said.

Hilton Hotels Corporation rebrands corporate name and logo

Hilton Worldwide, formerly Hilton Hotels Corporation, has announced launch of its new corporate name and logo. According to the group, Hilton Worldwide signifies the company's global reach, and the logo incorporates key design elements reflecting Hilton's heritage, vision for the future and commitment to excellence in service. 'The changes have also been mirrored by the internal launch of a refreshed company vision, mission, values and key strategic priorities, which are intended to communicate more clearly how Hilton conducts business and plans to achieve company goals,' the company said in a statement.

US Federal Aviation Administration decides against downgrading India

India was saved a huge international embarrassment on Wednesday when the US Federal Aviation Administration decided against downgrading the country’s aviation safety standards from the current top billing to sub-Sahara Africa level. The aviation ministry let the agency responsible for ensuring safe flying, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), weaken over years despite the International Civil Aviation Organisation pointing out major deficiencies in 2006 and air traffic in India growing by leaps and bounds. 

Finally, earlier this year, the FAA came for an audit and gave five months before downgrading it, something that would have meant no new flights by Indian airlines to America and strict checks for their planes on US soil. In this short timeframe, aviation secretary M M Nambiar and DGCA’s new chief Nasim Zaidi mounted a herculean effort to strengthen the regulatory mechanism by getting almost 600 technical posts sanctioned for effective implementation of much needed rules for safe flying that were also put in place. Now as a result, Indian carriers will be able to able to expand service in US through more flights and new access points.

Indian carriers dish out offers aplenty to attract fliers

With full service airlines making inroads into the low fare airspace, existing budget carriers are going beyond price advantage and handing out sops to attract and keep passengers. These carriers are either giving away gifts or offering discounts at hotels, restaurants, and retail stores against boarding passes. Low-fare carriers such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir and JetLite, consider this the most effective way to counter loyalty programmes that are being offered by full service rivals. Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Air India and Paramount Airways are full service carriers and run loyalty programmes that offer flying miles based on how often a passenger uses the carrier. India’s largest low-fare carrier IndiGo has announced a 20% saving on the prepaid in-flight meal if a passenger books tickets online. In the prepaid excess baggage option, too, the airline has offered a discount of up to 25% on luggage weighing between 10kg and 25kg.

 

Last week, SpiceJet launched its Privilege Pass Programme that allows travellers to avail special benefits from partner hotels against a used boarding pass. Benefits range from complimentary meals worth Rs1,500 or a discount of Rs500 on their total hotel billing. The partner includes Trident Hotels, Ista Hotels, Keys Hotels, Pride Hotels, Maidens Hotels, Rain Tree Hotels, JHM Interstate and The Park. GoAir in early September ran an offer of gifts worth Rs3,000 on tickets sold through 20 September. The gift catalogue includes men’s watches and ties, and an oval pearl jewellery set for women. JetLite, the low-fare unit of full service Jet Airways, is also offering discounts of up to 20% on car rentals with Avis and Hertz, dining, retail stores, and Lemon Tree and Marriott International hotels.

Indian Air Force takes control of 5 civilian airbases in Arunachal Pradesh

India has begun fortifying its borders in Arunachal Pradesh against China. As the first step, five air bases in Arunachal Pradesh have been taken over by the military. On the night of September 18, the Pasighat, Tuting, Vijaynagar, Walong and Mechuka bases close to the China border were passed from the Airports Authority of India to the defence ministry. The five bases were transferred to the military authorities after a quick clearance from the Prime Minister's Office.
 
The bases were initially only to be upgraded by the defence ministry, but now it has been given full control. Under military control, the five bases will be used by the air force and the army to increase surveillance across crucial stretches of the border with China. The defence ministry has already drawn up a fresh airborne surveillance plan for the eastern sector. The plan will coincide with the visit of the Dalai Lama to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

Air India & Star Alliance hold discussions on integrating network

The top management of Air India and the Star Alliance held discussions as the national carrier presented its progress report on integrating its domestic and international network, including the work on evolving a common flight code. Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav held talks with a six member Star Alliance delegation and briefed them about the work being done on integrating the two erstwhile carriers, Air India and Indian Airlines, their fleet and network strength and of integrating their IT systems, official sources said.

 

One of the biggest obstacles for Air India in becoming a part of Star Alliance is the absence of same flight code, which is IC for Indian Airlines and AI for Air India. A common IT system, on which a US company was working, is likely to be finalized soon, the sources said, adding, eventual integration would take another six months. Efforts were being made to align the processes and systems of the two erstwhile airlines and bring them on par with the Star Alliance standards, the sources said.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts to manage Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts will manage a newly built five star hotel in Abu Dhabi when it opens on October 1. The Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, which is owned by the Al Fahim Group unit Rmal Hospitality, is located near the Abu Dhabi International Airport and has 369 guest rooms, a variety of restaurants, in addition to a private beach, two outdoor swimming pools, a fitness centre and a spa.