December 3, 2008 update BMTC is no longer booking via Redbus and Viaworld. For online booking please visit www.ticketvala.com. If you find this article useful, before jumping off the blog, I will appreciate if you can leave a comment or your thanks. Also consider subscribing to the blog via RSS or choose to receive e-mail updates when new articles are …

The government owned Air India has been undergoing a steady decline ever since it was nationalised. Air India faces a dilemma. It is owned by the Government of India, and all government functionaries, from Members of Parliament (MPs) to the lowest in the hierarchy of government employees, treat the airline as their personal fiefdom. The management of Air India, also …

As per a Bloomberg article, in the face of continuing declines in global air travel, British Airways Plc, Europe’s third- largest airline, will cut more than 100 jobs at London’s Gatwick airport as it reduces services there by 15 percent from mid-2009. The number of aircraft based at the airport will be reduced to 37 from 41, the Harmondsworth, England-based …

PTI reports, Jet Airways’ unlisted subsidiary, low-cost airline JetLite, had incurred a loss after tax of Rs 273 crore ($54.6 million) for the second quarter ended September 30, which made the accumulated losses of the erstwhile Sahara Airlines exceed its net worth. While declaring its results of the second quarter ended September 30, Jet Airways had said the subsidiary had …

British Airways commenced operations to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA),Hyderabad, today. The new route provides a direct flight from Hyderabad to London Heathrow Terminal 5 and is aimed at the IT segment of Hyderabad, with its connections to 22 destinations in North America. British Airways will operate five weekly Boeing 777-200ER non-stop flights between Hyderabad and London, with a three …

As per an SPEEA release, refusing to respond to union proposals, without notice The Boeing Company today (Dec. 5) unilaterally announced a “recess” to contract negotiations with the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE Local 2001. The union learned of the “recess” from a company email to employees. “The company has not responded to our proposals and …

IndiGo joined fellow airlines Air India, Jet Airways, JetLite, Kingfisher Airlines, and Kingfisher Red and announced a cut of Rs 400 in its fuel surcharge across all domestic routes, today. IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh said “Effective December 6th, IndiGo has reduced its fuel surcharge to match that of Air India, Jet Airways and JetLite,” He said this was aimed at …

Air India launched (05-Dec-08) a promotional scheme for passengers travelling on its select domestic metro sectors. The scheme titled ‘Winter Warmth’ will be applicable for travel between the four metros – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai; and also between the four metros cities and Bangalore/Hyderabad. The scheme, aims at frequent flyers – award of one free return ticket of two …

Following reductions from fellow airlines, Kingfisher Airlines and Kingfisher Red, today, announced reduced fuel surcharge on air tickets. The cut on fuel surcharge on all domestic routes will be applicable with immediate effect, a company spokesperson said. Kingfisher Red (formerly Air Deccan) has reduced fuel surcharge For routes under 750 kms, the fuel surcharge is reduced by Rs. 300, from …

Kingfisher Airlines will start operations to its second international destination with the launch of daily direct flights from Mumbai to London from January 5, 2009. A330 image is my copyrightAccording to the release issued by the airline, a brand new Airbus A330-200 will be deployed for the route. Kingfisher Airlines commenced its international operations on September 3, 2008 with its …

I was just reading an article on Business Standard about no fare cuts by Jet and JetLite, and in the background, I get this news from Jet and JetLite. From tomorrow, December 6, 2008, JetLite has announced a reduction in applicable passenger fuel surcharges on all domestic routes. For routes under 750 kms, the fuel surcharge is reduced by Rs. …

Read a nice article by Anjuli Bhargava in the Business Standard today, about the airlines’ ticket prices, the fuel prices, and the politicians. I strongly recommend your reading it. Ms. Bhargava asks Can someone enlighten me as to what’s going on? I am referring to this quid pro quo that’s been playing out through the media between the airline industry, …

The Wall Street Journal reports Boeing Co. may further delay first deliveries of its flagship 787 Dreamliner by at least six months to account for the recent strike by union machinists and other snags. According to people familiar with the situation, Boeing officials are expected to announce later this month that first deliveries of the fuel-efficient jet might not occur …

DNA reports how airlines are killing the goose that lays golden egg, by resorting to price gouging at Mangalore As per DNA Businessman Abdul Wahab had to make a sudden trip from Bangalore to Mangalore recently. He walked into the office of one of the airlines at the BIAL airport. The ticket he bought cost him Rs. 8900. A while …

All the major airports across India have been turned in to fortresses following perceived threats. The jitters created a security scare at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport in the early hours of Friday, and triggered panic among passengers and sent security officials into a tizzy. The chaos began when a sound similar to gunshots were reportedly heard from the …

Jon Ostrower, of FlightBlogger, probably the best aviation blog around, has uncovered an internal Airbus competitive intelligence briefing on their arch rival Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner program. A briefing, filled with juicy details. Even if you are not interested in commercial aircraft development, I recommend reading both Jon’s article, as well as the Airbus presentation. It is a stunning eye opener …

Delta Air Lines is taking another step in aligning and combining its frequent flier program with recently acquired, Northwest Airlines’ WorldPerks program: It will let SkyMiles members earn elite status by flying a certain number of segments. Delta announced elite and reward changes to both the Delta SkyMiles® and Northwest WorldPerks® programs to better align member benefits. Beginning in 2009, …

One frequently hears the term “fuel hedging”. May not be much in India, since airlines are not allowed to import fuel directly, and the government controlled oil marketing companies Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, etc., do not practice hedging. Fuel Hedging is a contractual tool used by some airlines to stabilize jet fuel costs. A fuel hedge contract commits …

Deutsche Lufthansa AG said its supervisory board approved a plan to buy ailing Austrian Airlines AG. At the end of September reporting period, Lufthansa had cash and reserves of about €3.8 billion, with a nine-month net profit of €551 million. As the global economic turmoils squeeze the airline industry, the proposed merger highlights how the relative strong airlines are gaining …

My good friend K.B. Syed, recommended this article as a counter balance to the Arvind Lavakere article. It is not my intention to turn this in to a religious or ethic debate, but rather to raise awareness, on the methods, blatant and devious, used to divide us, instead of uniting us. In this regard, my respects to Mobashar Jawed Akbar. …