About Ajay

Ajay Awtaney is the Founder and Editor of Live From A Lounge (LFAL), a pioneering digital platform renowned for publishing news and views about aviation, hotels, passenger experience, loyalty programs, travel trends and frequent travel tips for the Global Indian. He is considered the Indian authority on business travel, luxury travel, frequent flyer miles, loyalty credit cards and travel for Indians around the globe. Ajay is a frequent contributor and commentator on the media as well, including ET Now, BBC, CNBC TV18, NDTV, Conde Nast Traveller and many other outlets.

Live Now: Flipkart and Marriott Bonvoy. Link your accounts

August 21, 2025 by Ajay Leave A Comment

A person wearing sunglasses and a hat is lounging on a large, yellow inflatable shaped like a currency symbol in a swimming pool. The water is a bright blue, and the text "Your Cart Takes You Places" is displayed in the bottom left corner.

Marriott Bonvoy and Flipkart’s tieup is now live. Here is how the two way tieup works, and the benefits of signing up. Also, how to link the accounts. Details inside.

HSBC launches “Travel With Points” Rewards Accelerator for Travel Bookings

August 20, 2025 by Ajay 2 Comments

The image features a beach scene with turquoise water and white waves on the left, and a sandy beach on the right. A shadow of an airplane is cast over the water and sand. A person is lying on the beach, and palm leaves are visible in the bottom right corner. The text on the left reads: "Travel with Points. Enjoy the best prices, great rewards and add-on features for the perfect holiday. In partnership with Hopper."

HSBC has recently added a massive multiplier to travel bookings via their portal for booking tickets and hotels using their cards. Here are the details.

Marriott Bonvoy to launch new partnership with Flipkart Group

August 20, 2025 by Ajay 4 Comments

Two people are smiling and holding illuminated boxes with the logos of Marriott Bonvoy and Flipkart. The background features the text "Your Cart Takes You Places" along with the Marriott Bonvoy and Flipkart logos.

Marriott has just signed on a new partnership with India, with Flipkart, which will allow you to earn points and burn points as well. Here is what it entails.

Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles 20-30% redemption sale. Book by August 24, 2025

August 15, 2025 by Ajay Leave A Comment

The image is an advertisement for a travel promotion offering up to a 30% Miles discount on domestic flights and over 150 international destinations. It mentions an additional 20% Miles discount on selected destinations like Montreal, Denver, and Bilbao. The campaign details include a ticketing period from August 15, 2025, to August 24, 2025, and a travel period from October 1, 2025, to December 5, 2025.

The Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles programme has an interesting sale ongoing, where if you book redemption tickets now, you can get a 20-30% discount on your Economy Redemption (mostly 30%). Details inside.

40% Discount for Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes August 2025

August 15, 2025 by Ajay Leave A Comment

The image is an advertisement for KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes, offering an upsized 40% off on Saver award tickets for 60 hours. The offer is valid from 15 August 2025, 12:00 (GMT +8) to 17 August 2025, 23:59 (GMT +8). The background features a person standing on a cliff, overlooking a scenic view of mountains under a sunlit sky. The image is credited to Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines is offering a great opportunity to redeem some sectors on their global network at a discounted price of 40% when you book with Krisflyer miles. Hurry because these won’t last long. Book now.

Marriott offering 2X points per Homes & Villas Stay through December 2025

August 14, 2025 by Ajay Leave A Comment

The image is a promotional banner for "Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy." It features a split view of two stylishly decorated living spaces with modern furniture and decor. The text on the image reads, "Double Point Stays. Earn 2X Points on Year-End Travel." It also mentions that the offer is valid on 3+ night rentals booked by September 25, with stays by December 31, 2025.

Marriott’s Home-sharing website, Homes and Villas is offering 2X points to everyone who books a stay by September 25, 2025 for stays between August 11 – December 31, 2025.

Scoot introduces KrisFlyer fixed redemption charts; Redemptions start at just 1,500 miles

August 14, 2025 by Ajay Leave A Comment

A yellow and white airplane with "flyscoot.com" written on the side is taking off. The aircraft has "Scoot" written on the tail and is in mid-air against a light gray sky.

Singapore Airlines’ budget subsidiary Scoot is now offering redemptions on a zone-based award chart, moving away from the earlier penny-a-mile redemption system. Here is how this could be helpful to all of us!

Etihad Airways’ new Independence Day promotion offers up to 30% off

August 13, 2025 by Ajay Leave A Comment

A young boy is joyfully holding up the Indian flag in a grassy field. An airplane is visible in the sky. The text on the left reads: "Hi, Ajay. Get up to 30% off now. Book by 15 Aug for travel between September to March 2026. Book now."

Etihad Airways is currently offering some attractive deals on bookings, with up to 30% discount available on both its fabulous business class and economy class. Here is how to book now and maximise.

India – China Direct Flights expected to resume in September 2025

August 12, 2025 by Ajay Leave A Comment

Illustration of an airplane flying between stylized maps of India and China. The background is divided into two halves, with India in yellow on a blue background and China in red on a red background. A dashed line indicates the flight path.

Air links between India and China are expected to be restored as early as September 2025, as the political relationships between the two countries are repaired.

Qatar Airways’ new Independence Day promotion offers up to 25% off

August 12, 2025 by Ajay Leave A Comment

The image features the India Gate monument with a clear blue sky and a few clouds. An airplane is flying above, and a ribbon in the colors of the Indian flag (orange, white, and green) is flowing across the image. Text on the left reads "Celebrate Independence Day with us" and "Fly with us and save up to 25%*". Trees with autumn foliage are visible in the background.

Qatar Airways is offering some pretty good deals on booking with them right now, with up to 40% discount being offered on the airline’s fabulous business class as well as economy class. Here is how to book now and maximise.

Akasa to launch flights to Phuket on September 20, 2025

August 12, 2025 by Ajay Leave A Comment

Akasa is all set to launch flights between Mumbai and Phuket. Here are the details of the upcoming route launch, the sixth in the international network of the airline.