India Travel News and Deals - Sponsored by Tripmela.com

Take a Family Vacation at a Great Price

2008-08-21T04:02:00.000-07:00

Cleartrip has put together a whole bunch of cheap family vacations in India, including cheap holidays in Goa, cheap holidays in Manali and trips to Udaipur. These great vacations start at just Rs 1,635.

Get a Third Night Free at a Goa Resort

2008-08-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

Travelguru is offering a third night free at the Martins Comfort Resort in Goa. You'll pay just Rs 793 per night when you avail yourself of this incredible deal. Hurry...this price won't last long. Learn more about this cheap Goa hotel now.

Cheap Flights from Mumbai to Hyderabad

2008-08-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

GoAir is offering cheap fares from Mumbai to Hyderabad, with prices as low as Rs 195 each way (plus tax, of course). GoAir has cheap fares to many other cities as well, including Delhi and Ahmedabad.

Cheap Hotels in Agra, from Just Rs 50 Per Night

2008-08-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

Travelguru is offering cheap hotels in Agra from just Rs 50 per night. Use Searchmela to compare cheap hotel rates in Agra from all your favorite sites quickly and easily now!

SpiceJet and GoAir Offer Rs 0 Flights - Cheap! - from Delhi to Mumbai

2008-08-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

SpiceJet and GoAir are offering Rs 0 fares making for cheap flights from Mumbai to Delhi. Yes, you still have to pay taxes and fees, but it's never going to be cheaper than Rs 0. Visit Searchmela to compare airfares between Mumbai and Delhi from multiple websites all at once!

Kolkata, Chennai Airports to Begin Modernisation Work in September

2008-08-12T03:43:00.001-07:00

Good news if you fly out of Kolkata or Chennai airports: the government approved a plan to begin modernising the airports beginning in September. The government had been debating privatising the airports, but they decided to wait on that decision so as to not put off construction any further.

Dubai to Allow Tourist Visas for Indians

2008-08-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

Dubai's government has decided to extend its liberal tourist visas to visitors from the subcontinent. With many airlines adding flights to Dubai, this will make travel to the region even easier for Indian visitors. Visas are arranged by your hotel or tour operator (though visitors from 33 other nationalities, including the US and Australia, can still receive a visa on arrival).

Delta to Shift Mumbai Flights to Atlanta from New York

2008-08-08T03:34:00.000-07:00

Delta will discontinue its nonstop service from New York to Mumbai effective 1 November and shift the flight to its hub in Atlanta. The airline notes that the southeast lacks nonstop service to India and that its large number of connecting cities to its hub will provide more people with 1-stop service to the region.

Chennai - Hyderabad Flights No Longer Served by Jets

2008-08-05T06:04:00.001-07:00

If you're planning to fly from Hyderabad to Chennai, it's going to take you about 35 minutes longer. To cut capacity (and costs) on the route, Jet Airways has removed its jets from the routes and replaced them with ATR turboprop aircraft. With this change, 7 of the 9 flights a day will be served by turboprop aircraft. Travelers generally prefer jets because they are faster and quieter.

With the increase in fares (and taxes), leisure travelers on the route are switching back from flying to the trains.

Jet Airways, Others, Consider Holding Off on New Planes

2008-07-31T04:01:00.001-07:00

Airbus and Boeing are working with their Indian airline customers to defer delivery of new planes they have ordered rather than having the airlines cancel the lucrative business. Boeing believes that the Indian aviation market with need 1,000 new aircraft over the next 20 years, and they're not changing that forecast despite the current downturn.

That downturn is rough: airlines are expected to lose about $2 billion this year, roughly double what they lost last year. In response, GoAir, Air India and others have cut capacity (Air India by 15% or so). This was a necessary response, considering there were 50 flights a day between Delhi and Mumbai - way too many for the market.

Last month we saw SpiceJet remove toffees from its flights. Now, JetLite will begin charging for water and snacks. Consumers may complain, but the alternative is that they'll complain much more when there are no more flights at all between the cities they want to fly.

Fares to the Gulf Slashed by 15%

2008-07-29T11:57:00.001-07:00

Good news for people traveling to the Gulf: Air India and Indian have both lowered fares by about 15% to the region from India. Delhi, Mumbai and Cochin are seeing the biggest discounts. According to Intelligent Traveller, air traffic to West Asia constitutes nearly 40 percent of the Indian aviation industry's total international operations.

Kingfisher to Launch London Flights in September

2008-07-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Kingfisher announced that it will launch flights to the UK beginning in September. The loss-making airline (1700 Crore over the last 2 years, not counting the nearly 650 Crore lost by sister-airline Deccan) will launch the service in the wake of a miserable cost structure for long-haul carriers. With other airlines closing long-haul routes around the world, this could be Mallya's biggest challenges yet.

Bagdogra's Airport Closed Down As Tea Is Mistaken for Bomb

2008-07-21T05:27:00.000-07:00

Long story short: Bagdogra's airport was shut down over the weekend after authorities found a suspicious package in the terminal. Suspecting a bomb, police closed down the terminal. After some investigation it turns out the package was not a bomb: it was a package of tea.

British Airways Loses Amitabh Bachchan's Bags for the 18th Time

2008-07-18T04:50:00.000-07:00

Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan has had a rough time with British Airways: The actor said that he and his family arrived in Toronto only to find that BA had lost his bags for the 18th time. BA has a notorious history of bag losses, but Bachchan has certainly seen more than his share. For its part, the airline apologized and said it has found the bags.

Oops...Kingfisher Won't Be Buying SpiceJet

2008-07-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

SpiceJet, which can now best be described as flailing, has rejected Kingfisher's offer to purchase the carrier. Instead, asset management firm WL Ross & Co. will inject $80 million into the airline to keep it afloat. The firm says they believe oil prices will drop below $100 in the coming year, leaving SpiceJet will strong financial footing to compete.

What will you do with that Ticket if the Airline goes Bankrupt?

2008-07-14T00:51:00.000-07:00

Twiddle your thumbs.. Seriously there is nothing you can do except for stand in line along with other creditors to get some sought of refund from the airline that goes under. Unlike the U.S or Europe where other airlines will transport you or some sort of insurance cover can refund your ticket amount, there is nothing that protects you and I from the Airline going Bankrupt. A scary thought, but it seems that the industry that was going gang busters a couple of quarters ago is seeing the prospects of airline closures :(

Deccan Offers Helicopter Service from Bangalore Airport to City

2008-07-10T04:58:00.000-07:00

Happy with Bangalore's new airport but unhappy with the miserable traffic to get to the city? You're in luck (assuming you're wealthy or traveling for business): Deccan Aviation is introducing helicopter service from the airport to three different destinations in Bangalore. Fares cost between Rs 4,800 and 5,800 each way.

GoAir to Cut Flights by 20%

2008-07-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

To help minimize loss-making routes, GoAir plans to reduce its total flying by about 20% from 1,000 flights a month to about 800 for the low season. GoAir will face a struggle to compete with a combined Kingfisher/Deccan/SpiceJet given the current fuel environment, which now accounts for nearly half of the airline's costs.

Consolidation Continues: Kingfisher Likely to Purchase SpiceJet

2008-07-07T07:20:00.000-07:00

India's airline consolidation continues as Kingfisher will likely purchase SpiceJet, creating an airlines that will control 40% of the domestic market. Under the combined group, Deccan will fly regional routes throughout the country while SpiceJet will fly to metros. The new carrier group will be a major force in Indian aviation, leaving a big question as to how IndiGo and GoAir will be able to survive in the current cost and competitive environment.

Planes Hit Dogs and Birds at Ahmedabad Airport

2008-07-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

2 nights ago heavy rains apparently drove all manner of bird and beast onto the runway at Ahmedabad's airport, causing delays after aircraft hit 12 birds and a dog. An Emirates flight on the way to Dubai hit a dog while taking off, though it continued its takeoff roll without further incident. However, the Qatar Airways plane that was to take off next was delayed for 30 minutes because the plane's pilot refused to take off with the carcass still on the runway. Since it was 5 o'clock in the morning, the dead dog patrol had not yet clocked in.

Several aircraft also hit birds on the same day, causing at least one flight to make an emergency landing.

Higher Ticket Prices Taking its toll on Passenger Traffic from Smaller Towns

2008-07-02T05:16:00.000-07:00

This was bound to happen, with higher fuel surcharges the average ticket prices have been steadily increasing. This has had an adverse impact on growth in passenger traffic from smaller towns, per the Airport Authority of India's latest figures. This is just the beginning, with fuel prices hitting $140 a barrel the ATF and with it ticket prices will only go up.

50 Pilots in India Found to Be Drunk in the Past Year

2008-07-01T03:46:00.001-07:00

India's civil aviation authority announced yesterday that it found 50 pilots to be drunk during pre-flight medical checks last year. Indian pilots are prohibited from drinking alcohol within 12 hours of flying. Because airlines have grown so quickly, pilots are often needed on short notice - hence, they had been drinking without knowing they'd be flying that day. A flight from Delhi to Patna was canceled on Saturday after a routine pre-flight check found that the pilot had been drinking.

Say Goodbye to Free Toffees

2008-06-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

In the face of piling losses, the airlines are now starting to eliminate even the littlest things from their flights. Cases in point: Indian has now eliminated the free toffees they handed out to economy passengers and the free fruit baskets they gave to premium fliers. Spicejet, meanwhile, has decided that it will no longer pass out free cookies, waters or toffees on their flights.

It may seem a little crazy that they can actually save money by getting rid of sweets, but SpiceJet says they will save Rs 50 Lakh annually by being stingy with the toffee.

Sleeping Pilots Miss Airport by, oh, 359 Miles

2008-06-27T03:35:00.000-07:00

Pilots on an Air India flight from Jaipur, India, to Mumbai allegedly overshot the airport by 359 miles because they were sleeping during the flight. The crew members started their day with a 1:35am flight from Dubai and continued on with this 7am flight from Jaipur. That doesn't excuse falling asleep, but it kinda makes sense.

Air India, for its part, denies the incident took place.

Are we the worst tourists?

2008-06-27T03:03:00.000-07:00

A survey done in Australia put Indians as the worst tourists for having the worst tourist etiquette. Well this survey was in Australia, wonder if the recent cricket series had anything to do with the abysmal ranking. A record number of Indians are traveling overseas, so may not really know some of the western ways, and i would not be surprised if our constant haggling (bargaining) gene has something to do with the ranking as well.

Airlines Set Delhi - Mumbai Fares at Rs 2000 Each Way

2008-06-26T03:47:00.000-07:00

There's no evidence yet (yet!) of collusion between lowfare airlines, but strangely GoAir, SpiceJet and IndiGo have all raised their one-way base fares between Delhi and Mumbai to Rs 2,000 each way, doubling the previous base fare (and quadrupling the common sale fare). With fees, the fare now comes to about Rs 5,400 each way. The busy sector accounts for nearly half of all air travel in India.

If passengers rebel and refuse to fly, look for one of the airlines to break and drop fares back to Rs 500 levels.

Indian Airlines Tell Travel Agents: No More Commissions for You

2008-06-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

India's full-service airlines have joined the budget carriers and much of the rest of the world in eliminating commissions on airline ticket sales. Budget airlines had eliminated commissions previously, but Jet, Air India and Kingfisher had been paying 5% - beginning in October, that'll drop to 0%. Customers should now expect travel agents to tack on a service fee to ticket sales, effectively increasing the fares you're paying for tickets. In the US and Europe, online agencies reacted by tacking on service fees to the tickets (usually about Rs 250) - we'll see how India's OTAs respond.

Jet Airways Reports Losses, and More Losses to Come

2008-06-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

Jet Airways is feeling the pain: India's largest private carrier announced a loss for the last quarter and said that there will be more losses to come in the face of slowing traffic and soaring fuel costs. Fuel now makes up 45% (!) of airlines' operating cost - a jump of 90% from last year. Jet has grown their international business to more than 40% of their total flying, but fuel costs are hurting profitability on those routes, while downward fare pressures are contributing to losses on domestic routes.

More Bad News for SpiceJet: Airline Delays Aircraft Deliveries

2008-06-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

SpiceJet's woes continued today as the airline is now rumoured to have delayed 7 of the 30 aircraft it had ordered. On top of that, their June load factors are about 78% versus 90% last year (that despite the Rs 99 fares they, and every other airline, were offering for the season). Want more bad news? The carrier is eliminating 20 flights, including Ahmedabad to Hyderabad and Jaipur, and reducing frequencies from Bangalore to Hyderabad & Chennai, and from Hyderabad to Chennai.

It's going to continue to get worse before it gets better.

Air India not to be Sold off

2008-06-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Per the civil aviation minister, Air India, will not be sold off. Well, for one their poll partners the communist party will not allow it, and second the worldwide airline market is currently in the dumps. So irrespective of how you feel about privatizing public companies nothing is going to happen for now.

Beware of the Jackals at Delhi's IGI Airport

2008-06-18T03:51:00.000-07:00

Following the heavy rains in Delhi, IGI Airport was overrun by jackals, foxes and lizards on Monday, causing the closure of the airport for an hour. About 100 flights were affected by the animals, which had come to the runway to sun themselves following the storms.

Airlines May Begin to Reduce Domestic Flying

2008-06-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

Some bad news for travellers: India's airlines, which are on track to lose more than $2 billion this year, are considering eliminating some of their domestic routes and frequencies as they try to figure out how to cut costs in the current fuel environment. Low fare airlines have been reluctant to raise fares, leaving them with unprofitable routes across their map. Just as travellers have become more accustomed to finding flights available at the times they want, they may have to get used to fewer flights and fuller planes.

But if that's the price of actually having the airlines survive, it's a small price to pay.

Jet Airways to Delay Expansion Plans

2008-06-16T04:22:00.000-07:00

After launching flights to San Francisco over the weekend, a Jet Airways executive said that (except for Dubai) it is postponing further international expansion until at least 2009. Jet had plans to take over the world (or so it seemed), but given the fuel situation those plans will just have to wait. Jet joins a long (and growing) line of airlines cutting back on longer haul flights as a means to drive down fuel costs.

Air India Express Cancels Goa-Dubai Flights After 1 Week

2008-06-13T03:44:00.000-07:00

Only 1 week after putting tickets on sale, Air India Express has canceled their thrice-weekly service from Goa to Dubai because of weak bookings. Peak season bookings were OK, but during the off-season, the airline could not justify flying the route. Indian Airlines flies Goa-Dubai twice weekly.

In the current fuel environment airlines have learned that if a route isn't working quickly, that they have to drop it - Air India Express should be commended for not wasting any cash trying to make this work.

Darjeeling Strike Turns Violent; Tourists Attacked

2008-06-12T03:57:00.001-07:00

A quick update on the strike in Darjeeling and its effect on tourists: Strike organizers in the hills called for a 2-day break to allow tourists to get out of the region safely. However, a strike then broke out in the foothills, causing havoc in the region. Worse, a group of 8 tourists from Kolkata were attacked by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) men, causing tour operators to cancel tours to the region. If you have travel planned to the region, it would be best to postpone or change your plans at this time.

Airlines send SOS to the Prime Minister

2008-06-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

In an effort to plead the case of the airlines, Praful Patel the Civil Aviation Minister along with the honchos of Jet Airways and Kingfisher are meeting with the Prime Minister. The ATF Fuel costs are through the roof, and now make up close to 50% of the operational cost of the airlines. India has one of the highest tax rates on ATF in the world, and they want to plead their case to reduce the taxes as the entire industry is bleeding heavily. Airlines have had to increase the ticket prices resulting in lower load factors ( fewer passengers flying) ...hence the mounting losses. My 2 paisas, with pending elections and petrol & diesel prices (for cars) at the highest rates, commodity & food prices also riding high, the administration will have a tough decision on hand. Do they try to help the airlines (in Politics = Rich) or use that to subsidize diesel (in Politics = the Not so Rich, more votes). इधर खाई उधर कूआँ (Idhar Khai Udhar Kuan: One the side is a valley on the other a well)

Strike in Darjeeling Causes Havoc for Tourists

2008-06-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

An estimated 40,000 tourists are stranded in Darjeeling because of a strike called by a group that wants a separate Gorkhaland state. Hotels have asked their guests to leave, but no transport is available out of the region. Unfortunately for those in the region who make a living off tourism, the strike has no end date, causing many to worry they will lose their livelihoods.

Cash-Strapped Airlines in India Delay Payments for Jet Fuel

2008-06-10T03:57:00.000-07:00

How bad has is the financial situation of some of India's largest airlines? Very bad - several of them, Kingfisher and Jet Airways included, have fallen behind on payments for fuel even when they have been given rather loose credit lines. Indian Oil Corp now requires that Kingfisher pay for their fuel immediately at purchase (like when you get your petrol for your car) because they had fallen so far behind in paying for past fuel purchases.

The industry is a mess in India, with airlines losing roughly Rs 1600 for every passenger they fly.

How Paramount Airways Stays Profitable

2008-06-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

The Economic Times has an interesting article about Paramount Airways and its steadfast refusal to expand beyond its southern base. Why the hardheaded approach? Because, against all odds, the carrier is profitable and intends to stay that way. Unlike nearly every other airline in the world, they have decided to focus on their niche and make money doing it, rather than expanding to every corner of the map at any cost.

The small carrier has offered a full-service product at low costs and stayed out of the way of competition where possible. And because they've always offered a full-service product, their customers are a bit less price sensitive -- this is helpful in an era where airfare taxes have increased 4x in the past year.

If Paramount continues to stick to what they do well, they'll find that niche carriers can have a profitable place in the aviation world - even as nearly every other competitor struggles with profits.

Court says Air India can Ground Fat Air Hostesses.

2008-06-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

I mean with the current ATF prices an airline is looking to cut out any weight :) to get better mileage from their aircrafts. Just Kidding.

Will India's Airlines Ever See Profits? (Answer: It Will Be a While)

2008-06-05T03:51:00.000-07:00

Airline Business magazine takes a look at India's airline industry and asks, "What's going wrong in India"? To spare you the 10 minutes of reading the (worthwhile) article, here's the short version: fuel costs & taxes and a miserable infrastructure. While fares have come down and routes have grown - especially in the lowfare sector, which now accounts for about 50% of the traffic in India, none of the airlines are close to turning a profit.

Executives are hopeful that a couple of states have cut the fuel tax and that others may soon follow. Airlines have added fuel surcharges as well to cover the growing costs. Plus, consolidation may finally help to push airfares up to an even close-to-reasonable level.

But the fundamental problems in the industry - too many carriers chasing the same routes - means that prices will stay too low and airlines will slowly bleed away cash. Says Tony Fernandes, the head of successful Malaysian lowfare carrier Air Asia: "I don't think it's a cost problem," he says. "I think they are not following the model. We'll let all the Indian airlines kill each other first. Then we will come in."

Jet Airways: No More Paneer Makhani on Flights

2008-06-04T03:53:00.000-07:00

Well, not literally but pretty close. Jet Airways and the other carriers are looking to squeeze out costs where possible given the huge operating losses that they are suffering given the ridiculous fuel costs. Jet Airways' COO, Sudheer Raghavan per this article is quoted "We will also be taking a long, hard look at the choices we offer for passenger meals and the number of meals we uplift,". Well I know I am packing my own Naan and Paneer Makhani on my next flight.

From Slow to Bad to Worse

2008-06-03T12:51:00.001-07:00

It first starts to slow then a market gets bad before it gets worse. The Indian aviation market is already slowing down and could soon get bad. The ATF prices are through the roof and when they make up 45% of the operational cost, you know things are getting bad. All airlines are already operating under losses, and with the slow down in the growth of passenger traffic, they are all pruning their routes. Some airlines are late in paying their airport dues as well. The civil aviation ministry is hence considering to remove the five year in-operation rule to allow the younger airlines to fly overseas, as airlines have higher yield on long-haul international flights (not to mention that they are more attractive for investors). Fasten your seat belts folks if the ATF prices do not let up soon there will be major turbulence ahead.

Tripmela Launches searchMela A Mega Search Tool

2008-06-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

Tripmela announced the Launch of Searchmela, a travel search tool. This is not a Meta Search engine - rather a tool to help consumers find the best airfares from all your favorite website with one click. No longer will you have to visit 3 or 4 sites to compare airfares. Just visit searchmela.com now to see for yourself how easy it is to find the lowest airfares!

As Airlines cut back Air India Express Continues to Expand

2008-06-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

Amidst all the news of reduction of expansion pans and route rationalization Air India Express continues to expand its services to the Middle East. This is a very lucrative sector for them, and with plenty of other low cost airlines looking to start or expand their services between this sector this is a good defensive move by them. They will be connecting three more smaller cities to Dubai:
Hyderabad to Dubai
Goa to Dubai
Pune to Dubai

With 7 additional aircrafts coming by next year, you can look for increased service to the Middle East and to the Far East countries.

As Oil Prices Increase Airline Expansion Plans Decrease

2008-05-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

The increasing oil prices are forcing airlines to cut back fleet expansion plans, rationalize routes and increase air fares. With growth in passenger traffic slowing (still an impressive double digits) the government and AAI are getting a bit worried as they plan to invest Rs 45,000 crores to upgrade, expand and add new airports throughout the country. This is especially true when airports are complaining about airlines not paying their airport dues on time, a worrying trend indeed.

American Airlines Upgrades Food on Delhi Route

2008-05-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

Good news if you're flying American Airlines in business or first class from Delhi: The carrier announced that it is upgrading its food options on the route, serving a wide variety of Indian dishes. On flights from Chicago, food will come from well-regarded Vermilion, including Patrani Maachali, Dahi Elaichi Rajma, Dalcha Gosht, and Shrimp Moilee. Catering from Delhi will also be upgraded, which is good when you're spending 4 Lakh for a ticket.

SpiceJet: We Won't Turn a Profit Until 2010

2008-05-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

The rapidly rising price of fuel, coupled with the slowdown in Indian passenger demand has led SpiceJet's CFO to say that the airline will not break even until at least 2010. Fuel costs have increased 56% in the past year, and now comprise an absolutely incredible 52% of SpiceJet's total costs. Despite the cost increase and slowdown in traffic growth, SpiceJet will buck the trend and grow their aircraft and destinations in the current year. While that may seem like a smart move now, if fuel prices continue upward they will likely have no choice but to cut back and rationalise their route map.

Third Gulf Lowfare Airline Launches India Service

2008-05-27T03:50:00.001-07:00

Travel between India and the Gulf continues to get easier and less expensive: Bahrain's low fare airline Bahrain Air launched new nonstop service yesterday from Bahrain to Kochi. Service will initially be thrice weekly, but will increase during the next year. One way fares start at Rs 3,600. More than 275,000 Indian nationals live in Bahrain.

Off Loading Passengers to Cost Airlines

2008-05-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

All Airlines overbook, but the nicer ones take care of the offloaded passengers, whereas other airlines simply shrug their shoulders. Not anymore, the DGCA is looking into rules that make it mandatory for airlines to compensate passengers in addition to a refund of the air ticket for bumping them off overbooked flights. Although the level of compensation is not finalized, there could be several slabs of the compensation package. You can expect the airlines to be very unhappy about this as this adds additional financial burden on an industry already walking on thin ice.

Online Travel Agencies: Maybe We Have to Sell Hotels, Too

2008-05-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

Back in 2001, Expedia figured out that the only way to make money as an online travel agency was to focus on selling hotel rooms, not airline tickets. That seems really obvious now, but the Indian OTAs have struggled mightily with this concept, because (for so many reasons, not least of which is the lack of mid-priced hotels and a undersupply of rooms), they have relied heavily on low-paying airline tickets.

According to this article, that's finally changing. Travelguru (after its tie-up with Desiya) now claims that 90% of its revenues from hotel and holiday packages (though if I had to guess, I'd say that this is more a reflection of how large Desiya's business is and how small Travelguru's business is). MakeMyTrip and Yatra also claim growing and significant sales of hotels and holidays. Cleartrip lags behind the pack, with about 95% of their revenues coming from air. Look for more of the agencies to revamp homepages (as Travelguru has done) to focus on higher margin products.

In the US, once the OTAs started to think more like merchandisers and less like sellers of airline tickets, their margins grew. Cleartrip, with its wonderfully clean design, just needs to figure out how to maintain their stand-apart design while doing a better job of incorporating higher-margin products. Good luck.

Go Air Continues with Route Rationalisation

2008-05-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

As the growth in air traffic slows down and fuel prices increase Go Air continues to rationalise its routes. As a result they will stop service to Chennai (earlier they stopped service to Pune, Kochi and Coimbatore). Instead of simply increasing their footprint in a “market share grab” exercise, they now intend to focus on consolidating their position in a few markets (read operational profitability), a wise decision indeed.

Four Season Hotel Opens in Mumbai

2008-05-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

Luxury hotel chain Four Seasons opens its first hotel in Mumbai following a two year delay. The 202 room hotel is located in Worli, and if you are hoping to stay in the gleaning 33 storey hotel be ready to shell out Rs 24,000 a night.

Travel blog View from the Wing mentions the reasons for the delay:

…Bureaucracy and a shortage of skilled workers make building hotels difficult – the opening of the Four Seasons was delayed by at least two years. The hotel needed 165 government permits – including a special licence for the vegetable weighing scale in the kitchen and one for each of the bathroom scales put in guest rooms. In the end, the hotel cost $100m (€64.5m, £51m), or about $500,000 per room, and prices – which start at $500 per night rising to more than $1,000 – reflect that.

Glad to hear the vegetable scales are legal.

Convenient Departure Times for International Flights

2008-05-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has flown out of India to International destinations (Europe and America in particular) knows all about the awful departure times. The usual departure times for most international flights vary from midnight to 4 in the morning, and with perpetual delays you are guaranteed to stay awake pretty much for 24 hours. The reason for the odd departure times are that most airports in the west close past midnight due concern about noise pollution. India had little leverage hence had to accept this. Now the civil aviation ministry, with a bit more clout, is trying to change that in increments. The aviation ministry has started insisting that countries that wish to introduce or add flights must offer convenient departure times. The original flights will remain grand-fathered in with their original departure times, but the newer ones will hopefully offer better flight times. Don't expect many flights to Europe and U.S to have normal departure times anytime soon; this will happen mostly on the S.E Asia sector. This is a small but nonetheless a good change.

8 Year Old Walks Out of Mumbai Airport Alone

2008-05-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has experienced the madness of Mumbai's airport will be shocked to read this story: an 8-year old boy traveling alone on an Air Deccan flight from Coimbatore to Mumbai managed to depart the plane without staff noticing and leave the airport by himself. His mother was, as you would imagine, horrified when she noticed her son walking out of the terminal by himself.

Air Deccan staff admit that they forgot he was traveling alone on the plane and allowed him to deplane without any adult supervision. Oops.

More Investment coming in for mid-segment Hotels

2008-05-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

There is true supply deficit of standard quality 3 star (mid-Segment) hotel chains in the country. A bit more investment is coming to address this segment of the hotel industry. Lemon tree hotels will be adding 2,500 rooms by 2011, and the Bird group plans to set up another 20 hotels by 2015. I am sure the unrealistic real estate prices across the country are not helping to address the hotel shortage either.

Spice Jet is looking for some love

2008-05-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

"Everyone has flirted with Spice Jet" is the response from one of the promoters of Spice Jet upon being asked about a strategic sell out or merger with another airline (read Jetlite). The consolidation story that's unfolding within the Airline industry in India should hopefully lead to a logical end. Spice Jet in particular is probably feeling left out, hence the rumors of a marriage between Indigo Air and Jetlite. Given the hole that the airlines are currently in because of high fuel prices its getting harder to get investors on board at this time.

The Halo Effects of an Aviation Market

2008-05-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

The growth of the aviation industry impacts 2 markets directly, Hotel and car rentals. We have already seen the numbers on the growth of the hotel industry, which is experiencing record occupancy at rates comparable to NYC/London in the large metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Banagalore etc. The advent of the LCC has had another effect, vacation packages, with more packages being put together (hotel and air combos) to woo Indian consumers, led by efforts from the OTAs. We at Tripmela have been seeing this trend for some time, where the lead in popularity of air deals (although still the most popular) has been waning with packages gaining popularity over time. The other industry, car rentals, too is seeing some action. The majors, Hertz & Avis have announced deals with International carriers to provide chauffeured limo services (premium cars such as BMW, Mercs etc) to their first and business class passengers in India. They are also targeting Jet and Kingfisher to provide the same for their domestic passengers. This is the beginning before we see the majors with car rental booths across major and tier 2 airports for travelers to rent cars for their business or leisure trip.

Yatra to Pay for Flight Delays

2008-05-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

Yatra.com will pay Rs 200 to air travelers for domestic flight delays over 20 mins, irrespective of where the booking was made. Well, they will not give you Rs 200 in cash rather its a credit towards future flight purchases on Yatra.com. Knowing the pathetic on-time schedule of domestic flights in India, they could be handing plenty of Rs 200 credit vouchers. Interesting loyalty program though...

Air Deccan to Pay Fine for Flight Cancellation

2008-05-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

A Delhi consumer court has ordered Air Deccan to pay Rs 65,000 to a family who missed a wedding because their flight from Delhi to Bagdogra was canceled due to bad weather. The airline says that the cancellation wasn't their fault, but the court said they did not prove the weather was bad in Bagdogra. Said the consumer court: "The complainant and her family members had suffered a lot of mental pain, agony and emotional harassment due to cancellation of flight".

Sometimes it pays to miss the wedding...

India's Passenger Growth Slows, Airlines Re-Consider Expansion

2008-05-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

The extraordinary growth in air passenger traffic in India has slowed considerably, with analysts predicting 10-12% growth over the same quarter last year (this is still extraordinary for the rest of the world, but slow for India which has seen 45% growth year-over-year). Airlines are now beginning to adjust their fleets, with carriers in some cases taking only half the aircraft they expected this year. SpiceJet notes that they will take 3 planes while leasing out 3 others they had ordered. Kingfisher-Deccan will likely take 8-10 instead of 20 they had predicted. Jet said their growth plans were only at about 10% additional capacity instead of 20-30%.

Slower growth should help to rationalise some of the fares, which have dipped below the profitability level. Of course, the marketing and pricing teams don't necessarily follow the laws of economics, so we wouldn't be shocked to see the low fare deals continue through the summer.

Will JetLite and SpiceJet Link Up?

2008-05-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

In a recent interview, Jet's executive director suggested that SpiceJet may make an interesting acquisition for JetLite, merging together two low-fare operations that would control about 18% of the domestic market.

Consolidation in India appears to be inevitable, and Jet has certainly shown interest in growing its share through acquisition (taking Air Sahara into its organization and changing the name to JetLite). Bringing together SpiceJet's metro-heavy network with JetLite's more far-flung route map may help give Jet a formidable foothold in the domestic market. That said, SpiceJet says that Jet has not made any formal overtures yet.

Finnair looks to expand operations to India

2008-05-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

The Asian passenger traffic for Finnair grew an astounding 24 percent, and India was a big factor in that. As a result they are looking to expand operations from the current 12 flights a week to India. They currently fly to New Delhi and Mumbai, but want to connect Bangalore and Chennai to Helsinki. The US - India corridor is also a key reason for their success, and with future expansion to south India, this will only increase for them.

Jet Airways, SpiceJet Hike Fuel Surcharges

2008-05-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

Even if fares aren't increasing, consumers are going to be paying more for their flights: Jet Airways and SpiceJet have announced that they'll be increasing fuel surcharges by Rs 150 for short-haul flights and Rs 350 for long-haul. This brings the total fuel surcharge to Rs 1950 for short-haul and Rs 2350 for long-haul. The extraordinary increase in fuel charges will cost India's airlines $700 million this year.

6000 Pilots Needed, Apply Today

2008-04-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

Its interesting that even though the aviation boom is over 5 years old, we are still short of 1000 pilots. This will only get worse, per the civil aviation ministry, in the next five years the industry will be short by 6,000 pilots. Of course you cannot get experienced pilots overnight, but the shortage is also acute because of the lack of quality aviation academies in the country. The recent bankruptcies of US airlines (EOS being the latest victim) will help in getting a few experienced pilots, but frankly that's going to be a drop in the bucket.

Air India Express Launches Flights to Kuwait, Dubai and Dhaka

2008-04-30T03:55:00.000-07:00

Air India Express has announced the launch of new services to Kuwait, Dubai and Dhaka as part of its plan to serve international destinations from second tier cities. Plans call for the launch in the next six months of flights to Kuwait from Kerala, Mangalore and Ahmedabad; to Dubai from Goa, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, and to Dhaka from Kolkata.

The strategy to primarily avoid international flights from metros and serve from second-tier cities is a smart move for the airline, which avoids some of the vicious price competition out there, and is, of course, great news for travelers who get nonstop service that would have otherwise required a change of planes.

Will India's Airlines Stop Paying Commissions to Travel Agents?

2008-04-28T11:17:00.001-07:00

Echoing the practice of airlines in other regions of the world, airlines in India are considering eliminating base commissions for travel agents, a move that will likely force agents to charge a service fee to their customers. This does not mean that airlines won't pay anything -- the likely scenario is that they will reward high volume agencies while reducing payouts to smaller agents. Commissions have moved from 9% to 5% in India in recent years.

Travel agents in the US complained bitterly when airlines eliminated base commissions a few years back, but they learned to live with the new environment, instead charging customers upwards of US$50 (Rs 2000) to issue a ticket. That will likely be the new reality in India as well.

This is good news for online travel agents, who saw their market share spike in the US, as their service fees were typically only US$6 to issue a ticket (some agencies continue to charge nothing). Look for online agents to tout their small or non-existent service fees as a way to drive sales online.

Are SpiceJet and IndiGo in Merger Talks?

2008-04-25T06:28:00.000-07:00

The Business Standard is reporting that SpiceJet and IndiGo have held merger talks, speculation that caused a nearly 10% jump in SpiceJet's stock. We are normally not a fan of mergers, but the Indian aviation is not like other markets (one major difference is that the underlying infrastructure simply cannot handle the growth that has been thrown at it by the new carriers). A merger by these two carriers should help to rationalize capacity and get fares a bit closer to where they need to be. Both sides deny the talks, but really -- what else are they going to say?

The Top 5 Airports in India Account for 70% of Passenger Traffic

2008-04-23T14:24:00.001-07:00

As per a recent study by the ASSOCHAM, (The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) the top 2 airports Mumbai and New Delhi account for 40% of the passenger traffic in India, and the top 5 account for 70% of the traffic. As per the report the reason passenger traffic has not increased in other parts of the country is due to a lack of infrastructure. There are around 400 airports in the country but only a 100 are used for civil aviation. An interesting data point to me was the comparison of total passengers on premium rail services vs. air passengers. There are about 52 million passengers that take premium rail services (the low hanging fruit for LCCs) compared to 15 million air passengers. That's where the challenge lies. Certainly building good infrastructure will help in increasing passenger levels, but the big challenge is competing with the Indian Railways. Airlines see the opportunities in connecting tier II cities, but with the Railways fast improving and hoping to provide more higher speed train services this challenge will only get tougher.

SpiceJet and GoAir to Pull Out of Kochi

2008-04-23T06:46:00.001-07:00

SpiceJet and GoAir announced that they will pull out of Kochi, citing skyrocketing costs. SpiceJet ended operations on 14 April, while GoAir will have its last flight in May. Landing fees at the airport are Rs 35,000 compared with just Rs 2,500 in Mumbai. Ground handling costs and upcoming repairs were also noted as reasons for the departure. The airport was the first in India to be run by a private operation.

Fly Overseas for Less this Summer

2008-04-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

The airfare reductions that we are currently witnessing in the domestic sector seem to be touching the overseas sector as well. With competition heating up and supply increasing, airlines, that are loath to fly empty seats, are cutting fares. With Kingfisher/Deccan all set to fly to international destinations the supply will only increase. The airfares for this upcoming summer season are already seeing a downward trend with some airlines throwing in some extra freebies like a free hotel night.

The general belief that international operations would be the savior for some of India's airlines seems to be sinking...just like that airfare.

You can still catch some of these crazy deals while they last at Tripmela.

Can Mergers Save India's Airlines?

2008-04-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

The Wharton School published an article looking at consolidation in the Indian Airline industry and found that, like in the United States, mergers will not solve the underlying problems associated with air travel. The piece focuses specifically on the Air India - Indian tie-up, which will likely show increasing losses in the year following the merger. The authors suggest that labor unrest and corporate culture could doom mergers in the industry.

The culture issue is one facing Kingfisher and Deccan head on, as execs try to figure out how to bring together a culture of providing premium service with one focused on lower costs. At the same time, they are trying to keep two separate brands - a feat that is at least as big a challenge as higher fuel costs and downward pricing pressure.

The authors offer no suggestions but hint that success may lie in growing the airline routemaps to include overseas destinations, an area where Air India has had some success and Kingfisher is scratching to go.

Airlines look to cut expansion Plans

2008-04-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

With high fuel prices, downward ticket pricing, resulting in lower yields most airlines are looking to reduce the pace of expansion in the coming months. Jet plans to increase capacity at a faster pace in its Internation market than the domestic market, its doing so sustain its lead in the overseas market. Jet will be adding 6 ATRs in the domestic sector next year, these will most likely be deployed in the Non-metro (tier 2-3) cities.

LCCs Gain Share

2008-04-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

Low cost carriers, per latest data from the DGCA, now have a majority share of total domestic passengers. Full service carriers including Jet and kingfisher have lost share mainly to Spice Jet and Indigo Airlines. The price promotions by Spice probably helped it to gain share this past quarter. Of course while the entire game of market share is being played, the airline industry is expected to lose Rs 4,000 Crores collectively.

Air India Feels the Pain in its Middle East Sectors

2008-04-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

Air India has been going heavy up with its LCC brand Air India Express to the Middle East destinations. But its been facing declining passenger load factors in this sector. Per this article 'The passenger load factor of the flag carrier's low-cost subsidiary for West Asia has fallen a steep 11 percentage points over the last six months as a result of competition from new low-cost entrants and fare wars by incumbents.' This is partly due to increased number of planes, but largely driven by increased competition. This pressure is only going to increase with Deccan (or whatever Kingfisher Airline decides to call) all set to fly overseas in August, and the big dog Emirates Airlines throwing its hat in the LCC ring.

Airlines in India to Collectively Lose Rs 4,000 Crores

2008-04-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

Given the current oil prices the Indian airlines could collectively lose up to $1 Billion this fiscal (2007/08) year. This is being exasperated by the re-introduction of irrational pricing (great for the traveler) by some of the airlines to sustain their load factors. This downward pricing in the domestic sectors coupled with increasing costs is creating record losses for the industry. This is another reason why Kingfisher Airlines is waiting with bated breath for August, as that's when they can fly overseas and hope to reduce their losses to a certain extent.

Even Jet Airways Is Feeling the Pain

2008-04-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Jet Airways, an airline that historically shown strong profits, announced that it will post a loss for its fiscal year. While an airline losing money generally isn't particularly remarkable, it is for Jet Airways, which has been a model carrier in India. However, faced with rising fuel costs (like everyone else) , startup costs associated with growing their international business, and increased pricing pressure at home, they couldn't make the financials work.

The downward pressure on fares in the domestic market will be a big story this year and could lead to additional consolidation in the industry.

India's Airlines to Reduce Short-Haul Flying

2008-04-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

SpiceJet has announced that it will withdraw 12 short-haul flights due to increased fuel costs. We've typically seen fuel cited as the reason for airlines dropping longer flights, but the issue is really two-fold: yes, fuel costs are an issue. But the larger issue is that SpiceJet only flies mid-sized 737s, while the routes would be better served with ATRs (which are popular with Deccan and JetLite) or Embraer 190s (which I don't think any Indian airlines fly). Hyderabad to Chennai and Bangalore to Kochi will be affected by the changes. Check with SpiceJet to make sure your upcoming flights have not been elminated.

Delay in Baggage Delivery Costs United Airlines Rs 60K

2008-04-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Delhi consumer commission ordered United Airlines to pay Rs 50,000 to an exporter whose baggage was delayed by the airline, plus an additional Rs 10,000 for litigation costs. The passenger was on his way to Mexico City to participate in a trade fair when one of his bags was delayed and delivered three days after the fair was over. Although this incident happened in 1998, a decade ago, Mr Sharma was given only Rs 60,000 against the original amount of $40,000 USD that he claimed for loss of business, mental agony and inconvenience.

Offline Presence for Online Travel Agencies

2008-04-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

In their quest to sell more of the higher margin vacation packages Yatra.com has decided to have a consumer facing offline presence. They will be opening holiday lounges, aptly called “Yatra.Com Holiday Lounge”. Currently these lounges are operational in cities like Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Chennai. Lounges in Mumbai and Connaught Place in New Delhi are slated to open in the next 10-15 days. They want to open these additional lounges in well-known streets, malls, and premium places (in other words expensive real estate). This is a fairly expensive proposition given the booming real estate costs in India. It will be interesting to see how long they can sustain this money sapping strategy.

India's Airlines Bring Back Rs 0 and Rs 99 Fares

2008-04-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

About 12-18 months ago we would frequently see India's lowfare carriers offering Rs 99 and Rs 0 fares on some of their routes as a way to drive market share. After quickly realizing that these fares were killing them, they swiftly disappeared.

Well, they're back. Tripmela has published a bunch of great airfare deals from GoAir (Rs 0), Air Deccan (Rs 99) and IndiGo (Rs 99). While these are crazy airfares that won't benefit the airlines at all, they are great for travellers. Hurry and pick these up before the airlines decide that losing money isn't a great business strategy.

Kashmir: Come Up and Play 18 Holes of Golf

2008-04-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

The New York Times features an article about how Kashmir's tourism officials are trying to sell the destination as a great location to play golf. Although many western governments tell their citizens not to visit the region, this has not deterred the government from spending more than US$6 million (about INR 24 crore) building a new golf course in Jammu to attract visitors. Even with that huge outlay, nobody is expecting Kashmir to become the next Scotland.

For great deals on flights to Jammu and Srinagar, visit Tripmela.com for great airfares to many cities in India.

A Desi GDS?

2008-04-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

Jet Airways plans to launch a Global Distribution System (GDS) with other (unspecified) carriers and an IT company (probably Wipro). Per this article, Jet Airways paid close to $40 Million in GDS fees last year, a major motivation for them to develop a new GDS. Per their chief commercial officer "there is no reason why the airline should have to payout so much to the GDS companies. There is so much IT talent in India which can be used to develop a new system that can be used by Jet as well as other carriers". True, but the biggest hurdle is not technology rather it is getting a critical mass of airlines to adopt this system and getting travel agents to use this (an expensive proposition). Case in point G2 Switchworks, an alternative to the established GDS brands such as Sabre, worldspan, etc. G2 which completed its 4 year anniversary this month has had limited success in dethroning the established GDS'. Whether the Desi GDS becomes a reality or not only time will tell. Even if Jet (and other airlines) does not move all its inventory to this new system, but is able to use this as leverage to reduce their overall GDS fees it will be a win for them.

Another "offloaded" passenger story

2008-04-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

We all know how this story goes, the passenger is late in boarding the aircraft for a million reasons, gets offloaded. He threatens, yells, cries...but to no avail. Only this time it was a MP of the Rajya Sabha that was offloaded from an Air India flight. According to Mr. Wahab, the Rajya Sabha MP "he had reached well on time to catch the flight, that was running 20 minutes late from Bahrain, but got a little late while being taken from the VIP lounge at the airport to the aircraft". Uh, he got late while waiting at the VIP lounge, unless he is physically/mentally challenged, couldn't he have walked to the gate or did he need directions ?

Magazine: Air India Service Among Best in World

2008-04-08T04:36:00.000-07:00

Air India has long suffered from a reputation of offering terrible service on its routes to Europe and the United States. But over the past several years it has worked tirelessly to change that image, upgrading both its aircraft and its service within. Finally, the carrier is getting some recognition: Travel Weekly, a US-based publication for travel agents, notes in its new issue that Air India's service "matches or beats" that offered by the world's top airlines. For anyone who flew Air India as recently as 4 or 5 years ago, that will come as a shock, but it is worth another try (assuming you can't get on Jet, of course).

For low fares wherever you go, visit Tripmela.com for great airfare deals every day.

Low Cost Airlines to Introduce a Surcharge for E-Bookings

2008-04-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

The low cost carriers Indigo and Spicejet will be introducing a surcharge of Rs 50 (flight time of less than 1 hour) or Rs 100(flight time more than 1 hour) for booking on the airlines' website. Trust the LCCs to nickle and dime you, Spicejet claims that their web hosting facilities in the US has increased prices, hence they will have to pass that cost on to the consumer. You will continue to pay a higher surcharge for bookings made over the phone. It will be interesting to see how the OTAs counter this, recently the airlines were frowning of being undercut by the OTAs and were threatening to reduce the commissions in a bid to circumvent the undercutting by the online travel agencies.

Consolidation in the Airline Industry leads Route Rationalisation

2008-04-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

In their bid to retain operational efficiencies Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines will be rationalising their routes across the country. As a result the North–East region will lose out on the full service Jet Airways to be replaced by JetLite, which with its low cost structure can operate in these markets. These are definitely some of the advantages of a consolidated aviation market (Healthy for the long run).

Abysmal Supply of Hotel Rooms in Mumbai and New Delhi

2008-04-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why the rates of hotel rooms in Mumbai and New Delhi are at par (if not more) with the top tier cities of the world, when neither of the cities is close to being in the top tier. It’s the supply of available room inventory. You have heard this plenty of times on this blog, but now there is some data to back that claim. Bangkok has more hotel rooms than Mumbai and New Delhi put together. Total Rooms available in Bangkok are 60,000 compared to Mumbai at 20,000 and New Delhi at 25,000. This again explains the over the top room rates in these two cities.

Jet Airways to Open Second European Hub In Milan

2008-04-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

In it's bid to increase the share of revenue from International operations to 50%, Jet Airways is aggressively expanding overseas. They will now be opening their second European Hub in Milan, Italy in addition to the existing hub in Brussels, Belgium. This new hub will let them take advantage of the tourist influx to Italy especially from the U.S during the summer season.

Another Close Call for Kingfisher Airlines

2008-04-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

It seems that this week Kingfisher Airlines seems to be in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Kingfisher's flight from Hyderabad to Delhi was aborted after some "dangerous substance" (not identified) leaked in the cargo hold setting off the smoke alarm. The plane, which was airborne for about 12 minutes was promptly brought back to the airport. The airline is blaming GMR, the airport operative responsible for security at the new Hyderabad airport, for clearing the cargo on to the aircraft. If you recall the ground handling facilities including cargo security was one of the contentious issues that led to the delayed opening of the airport. Hope they get to the bottom of this leak.. thank god the week is ending.

Global Image of Airlines

2008-04-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

As Jet and Kingfisher Airlines look to expand their International routes and Air India is in a modernization drive there is an interesting article that talks about the different branding strategies that three majors can adopt. It has a collection of opinions from some Advertising/Marketing/Brand strategy folks in India. I do like the idea of a differentiated brand, in this world of commoditized air travel (international or domestic) brand can play an important role in a consumers' decision-making process. Of course making of a good brand does not just involve a clever tag line, it involves fine-tuning a lot of hard operational processes before the soft branding issues can be tackled.

Anyhow, there were a few common themes across all of opinions:
Jet airways: Position as British Airways (I personally would want them to be benchmarked to Singapore Airlines) to play up its image of Business efficiency.
Kingfisher Airlines: Mimicking the Virgin experience.. the phrase that comes to my mind is "let the good times roll"
Air India: Leverage Indian culture and heritage (i like the Maharaja as it is very different, but would prefer a slimmer and sharper looking King.. depicting a young vibrant and efficient person rather than a podgy bureaucrat)

But the tag line that I found most amusing as suggested by one of the persons was for kingfisher airlines: “Fly the 36-24-36 skies!” “Hostess with the mostest”... is this guy serious?

Budget Carriers Hint at Lower Commissions to Online Agencies

2008-04-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

India's budget airlines are beginning to discuss lowering the 2-3% commissions that they are paying online travel agencies for selling their tickets. In a situation not seen in the US or in Europe, airline websites have seen their percentage of tickets sold directly through their websites actually shrink as online travel agencies undercut the airline's prices by refunding some of the commissions back to users. I suspect we'll see that arrangement disappear this year.

For great deals while they still last, check out Tripmela's great airfares in India for the best travel deals on trips in India.

Teen held with Lakhs in Cash at the Airport

2008-04-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

A teen boy enroute to Bangkok was held in the airport with over Rs 20 Lakhs in hard currency in his possession. The custom officials got suspicious by his behaviour and took him in for questioning where they found the cash in his pockets and handbag (next time try on Cargo Pants). Although the boy was later released after getting proof of Income the cash was seized as it exceeds the maximum permissible limit of $5,000. My question is, what is a teenager doing with $57,000 in cash, have his parents not heard of credit cards or travelers cheques?

India's Airlines Shrink Capacity Growth

2008-04-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

Airlines in India have lowered their expectations of capacity growth in 2008 in the face of falling demand. 2007 saw 30% growth in air traffic in India, but this year may only see 1/3 of that growth, and airlines are starting to make changes, reducing capacity, returning aircraft and slowing the rate at which they take new planes.

On a plus note, airlines have seen an Rs 400 increase in average fares, which helps with profitability but lowers demand - especially since we've seen a sharp decrease in the number of wildly low fares that used to be advertised to stimulate demand.

Of course, low fares haven't disappeared completely -- check out Tripmela's great airfare deals to find out the lowest fares on your next trip.

Courtyard by Marriott to come to Mumbai

2008-04-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

Marriott International plans to launch the "Courtyard by Marriott" brand in Mumbai, India by 2009. The 300 room property will be near the Andheri-Kurla road close to the airport. This is good for two reasons.

Mumbai's hotel room rates are through the roof, which is largely due to the deficit of quality room inventory. This, although a small trickle, is certainly a development in the right direction.

India needs more standardized 3 & 4 star quality business hotels, Ginger Hotels is another good example of this.

In the meantime if you are looking for deals on hotels in Mumbai check out Tripmela for great deals on hotels. You can also sign up for the best 10 travel deals weekly newsletter.

Airlines Want to Serve Liquor on Domestic Flights

2008-04-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

As most of you know alcohol is not served on domestic flights in India but is allowed on International flights. The airlines want to change that, they along with the liquor lobby are lobbying the government to allow alcohol back on your Mumbai to Goa (or any domestic) flight. Interestingly 4 Rajya Sabha members (not named) have pushed the civil aviation authorities to push this case. Interestingly, Vijay Mallya the owner of Kingfisher Airlines and United Breweries is also a member of the Rajya Sabha hmmm....
ऐ गनपत चल दारू ला... (Eh Ganpat Chal Daru la ...in case you cannot read the Hindi Script)

Kingfisher Flight Hits Jackal at Bangalore Airport

2008-04-01T04:02:00.000-07:00

A Kingfisher aircraft hit a jackal at Bangalore's airport on Thursday, injuring no passengers but causing damage to the plane's nose wheel. The ATR, on its way to Hyderabad, was pulled from service, and the airport was closed for 3 hours. The delay was due to the difficulty of moving the plane with the jackal caught up in the wheel (gross). This incident comes soon after a dog wandered onto a runway at Hyderabad's airport.

For cheap flights to Bangalore that do not involve hitting a jackal, check out Tripmela's great airfare deals to Bangalore.

Even Crying does not Prevent Passenger from Getting Offloaded

2008-03-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

One generally hears of anger, abuse or violence when you hear about a passenger getting offloaded from a flight. In this case the offloaded passenger cried and pleaded with the aircraft pilot without success. This is how the story allegedly unfolds, a passenger who has checked in on Air India Express flight from Mumbai to Bahrain cannot be traced. 10 minutes before the scheduled departure the pilot is informed about the missing passenger, just then the passenger walks in and is allowed to board the flight. The pilot nonetheless decides to offload him. The passenger cries and pleads (begs with folded hands per the article) with the pilot, but to no avail as his luggage is traced and removed from the aircraft. My question, would it have been better to let him stay on (he finally did show up before the scheduled departure) or waste that time in locating the poor blokes’ luggage and delaying the entire flight and holding its passengers in shock as the drama unfolds on the tarmac?

Mumbai Airport Voted Best Airport in India

2008-03-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

Mumbai airport has been voted as the best airport according to a CNN-IBN poll. Only 44 percent of the respondents thought that the overall experience in the airports in India as good, the majority (56%) termed it as “just okay”. Strangely, an option for “not good” or “bad” was not offered (one wonders about the methodology of the survey, but that's another discussion). Hyderabad’s old airport was voted as the worst, a good thing that the new state of the art airport is now operational.

Whether you are flying from the "best" or the "not-so-best" airport you still deserve the best deal possible. Check out those best deals on Tripmela's air fare section.

Kingfisher Airline Flight Hits a Dog on the Runway

2008-03-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Every Indian driving in any of the cities in India has most certainly had a near collision or crash with a stray dog. Well now an aircraft has had one too. Kingfisher airlines flight from Bangalore to Hyderabad hit a dog during takeoff. Thankfully there were only 2 minor injuries that too while evacuating. Only recently a flight hit a cow in India. So always buckle your seat belt.