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.

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Flight AI 682: Cochin – Mumbai, Air India, Economy

by Ajay 2 Comments

a plane with a ladder and people on it

Mumbai Airport Terminal 2 Clipper Lounge, Mumbai Terminal 2 Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, Kochi Airport Clipper Lounge Cochin If I haven’t mentioned this before, the Cochin Airport is made to look more like arriving at a red-brick palace than arriving at an airport. Here is what it looked from outside. We spent a brief moment pre-security at the dead Clipper Lounge, and then proceeded to clear security check, where I realised my palatial analogy was going to fit even better. This airport missed anything that was modern, and was full of wooden chairs (more like side pieces from couches) from another generation. My first time there and I sure was surprised. The wait was prolonged, because like it always happens,…

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SPG’s new promotion offers 2x points till July 2014

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Starwood launched their new promotion for the summer months of May through July 2014, and it is the regular 2x points per stay promotion they do many times over the past years. This time around, it is called the Earn Away Get Away, and earns you 2x points on all eligible stays (excluding Award nights and Cash+Points), and 3x points if your stay includes a Sunday as well. If you’re in the Middle East, Saturday counts instead of Sunday for the 3x points. This means, you earn 4 points per $ if you’re not an elite, and 6 points if you choose to bring in the weekend at an eligible SPG property as well. And yes, you get your elite…

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Ever had 3 flights board simultaneously from the same gate?

by Ajay 4 Comments

Last week, I was in Kuwait for a quick trip, and this trip was filled with a lot of confusion. First it was the hotel which claimed to have given me a suite but turning out it was a room and so on, but the best was saved for the end. I’ve been to Kuwait enough number of times to know how the airport functions there. You are supposed to go through a security check at every step with your belongings (check-in, passport control and boarding gates). At the boarding gates, usually my flights usually are from an aerobridge, so there is a big holding area. Since most of the travellers in this region are not frequent flyers, they usually…

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Jet Airways’ new Check-in platform brings in new features

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Earlier this week, I was on a round trip with Jet Airways, and I happened to notice that on April 16, 2014, there was a new interface for web check-in, and self hosted on the Jet Airways website (they were earlier using a Sabre solution). I found multiple good things happening with this interface, as compared to the old one. First and foremost, as compared to the earlier interface, the current one has multiple options to check-in. All you need is your name, your departure station, and either of your reservation locator, your frequent flyer number or your e-ticket number. Earlier, while you could only get through with your Jet Airways PNR, now you can use your PNR with the…

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Free Club Carlson Gold Status

by Ajay 6 Comments

File this under the mistake offers segment, but American Express and Club Carlson have tied up to offer American Express card members in Europe the benefit of complimentary Gold status to Club Carlson, if they sign up for a New Account. It works for everyone, as long as you can put in a European address there. Open for enrolment by May 31, 2014 and your status is good till February 28, 2015. Do disregard the incorrect text there. On enrolment, you will see a Classic Level on the screen but almost immediately you will be upgraded to Gold Club Carlson Status. Though it is not the most rewarding mid tier status, it comes with some benefits, namely: Complimentary room upgrades…

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More rescheduling of Jet Airway’s Mumbai Paris route (to be launched)

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At the cost of repeating myself, I am reporting back for the third time on this new route between Mumbai and Paris with Jet Airways. In January, Jet Airways announced that the route was going to be operational from May 14, 2014 with a 7 day frequency. That is a keenly watched development at least for me, because after a long time, Jet Airways is breaking into a new long haul market, and I really want them to succeed considering I love the airline much. Also, this is a hint of how things will be after the Etihad partnership is going to fructify. For reasons unknown, the airline already cut back on the route to 4 days a week earlier…

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Amex MR to adjust mileage transfer ratio (downwards) in India again

by Ajay 3 Comments

Last year, American Express went about readjusting the cost of transferring MR points into miles with various programs they partner with. While the usual transfer rate used to be 1.6 MR = 1 Mile, after last year’s readjustment everything except JPMiles and Air India Flying Returns Points, everything was 2 MR = 1 Mile. Now, as per email communication being sent out to members today, this will change as of May 2014 as well: Effective May 10, 2014, there will be a change in airline miles redemption for Jet Airways and Air India. The existing Membership Rewards redemption rate of 1 JPMile for every 1.6 Membership Rewards Points and 1 Air India Mile for every 1.25 Membership Rewards Points would…

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Last day for Miles & More 50K offer and few days to Citi INR 2500 referral

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A couple of quick reminders for the day. Like I wrote a couple of weeks back, the Lufthansa Miles & More Axis Bank 50K miles offer returned briefly and today is the last day to apply. You get a lucrative sign-up bonus of Miles & More miles. Additionally, if you spend INR 5,00,000 on the World Select Card, you get an extra 20,000 M&M Miles. If you’re a HON Circle or Senator member, makes the most sense for you if you don’t have the card since for sign-up you’re getting 10K miles for free. Frequent Traveller Members get it for half the price. I don’t know if Axis would be flexible on the date but do set up an appointment…

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Still Available: Goa DoubleTree by Hilton for 5000 points

by Ajay 2 Comments

Those of you who are regulars with the Hilton HHonors program in India would know that the DoubleTree by Hilton Goa is(was) one value gem in their portfolio at Category 1. Last year, I had a very good stay at this property for 2000 HHonors points and cash, and one night redeemed for 5000 HHonors points. Now, this year, at a very short notice, the property is going to move from Category 1 to Category 3, which means that the redemption requirements will move from 5000 points to 20000 points. This change comes into effect 24 hours from now approximately. However, at this moment, lots of dates are available at the hotel for 5000 HHonors points, or even 2000 HHonors…

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British Airways offering free UK visas from India this summer

by Ajay 3 Comments

British Airways seems to be training all its guns to get traffic from India to fly with them. They consider India to be one of their biggest markets outside the UK, and they are focussing their marketing budgets to get that share of Indian traffic. First, it was the Silent Picturehouse last December, and then the new Facebook campaign this Valentines Day. I never wrote about the fare sales with Citibank and HSBC, but there is something or the other coming from BA in India. The newest promotion they’ve done, is to offer complimentary UK visas to people travelling on British Airways in this year. While this is a promotion being offered only via offline travel agents and I don’t…

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Uber offering free rides in Delhi today

by Ajay 3 Comments

It is without doubt my favourite ground travel service at the moment, and Uber is spreading out fast in parts of India I frequent often. Today is election day in Delhi, and Uber is offering two free rides up to INR 1000 each for new and existing users both to be able to get out to vote. The first thing you have to do is to download the Uber app on your Apple/Android smartphone. The special promotion code to Uber in Delhi today, between 7 am to 7 pm, is VOTEDELHI. If you’ve never used Uber before, you can signup using this referral link, get INR 300 credit for using at a later date as well. And then, you can…

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