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Review: Jet Airways Lounge, Brussels

by Ajay Leave A Comment

a room with a few white chairs and a table

Introduction Check-in: Clipper Lounge, Terminal 2, Mumbai Airborne: Flight 9W228 (BOM-BRU), Jet Airways, Premiere (A332) Hotel Manhattan, Rotterdam Hotel Sheraton Brussels Airport, Brussels Check-in: Jet Airways Lounge, Brussels Airborne: Flight 9W227 (BRU-BOM), Jet Airways, Premiere (A333) Like I mentioned in the earlier post of this trip-report, I was intending to rush it in the morning to beat the long queues that tend to form up at the Brussels airport counters of Jet Airways. Even as an elite, you can be waiting for a while because all the counters would be full. Having made it early, I walked up to a bank of empty Jet Airways counters, which was the first time in years I’d seen it like this. I walked…

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Bye Bye Air Mantra?

by Ajay Leave A Comment

Air Mantra, a regional carrier in India, which was launched last July using Beechcraft airplanes, seems to have ‘suspended’ bookings and not operating their flights. I was, a few days back, thinking of taking a joyride on one of their planes, and hopped on to their website to check fares. The fare search did not turn up anything, so I thought it was an annoying website or just an annoying Internet connection and moved on. However, today the press reports, Religare group-promoted Air Mantra has suspended operations and stopped taking bookings, citing technical reasons. I tried again, and the website still did not show any tricks to help make a reservation. On checking the flight operation details for yesterday, it…

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Air India advised to axe in-flight meals

by Ajay Leave A Comment

Another zillionth committee was set up by the Government of India to see how costs could be controlled in its pet loss-making project Air India. And predictably, they have come back with the same recommendations which are the low-hanging fruits for any airline to save costs, Unbundle. Something that competitor Jet Airways has made noises for a long time about but hasn’t gone ahead with so far. According to the press, Air India will likely have to follow the Low Cost Carrier model, without having to shed its full-service tag to survive. Obviously, the first suggestion, right there on the top, is to axe in-flight meals. It has been recommended that only tea, coffee, cold drinks, peanuts and biscuits be…

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Review: Hotel Sheraton Brussels Airport

by Ajay 7 Comments

a bed with a lamp and a table

Introduction Check-in: Clipper Lounge, Terminal 2, Mumbai Airborne: Flight 9W228 (BOM-BRU), Jet Airways, Premiere (A332) Hotel Manhattan, Rotterdam Hotel Sheraton Brussels Airport, Brussels Check-in: Jet Airways Lounge, Brussels Airborne: Flight 9W227 (BRU-BOM), Jet Airways, Premiere (A333)   After my few days in Rotterdam, I headed back to Brussels on the train network. Luckily, I was only making one stop transfer this time around, and made it to Antwerp with 20 minutes to spare before I was going to get to my train to the Brussels National airport. This was good enough time to catch a helping of Fritters, which is something I make it a point to have when transiting via BRU and staying overnight. There are various hotel options…

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Is this how flight dreams break on a middle seat?

by Ajay 4 Comments

Sigh, and sorry for the cheesy title if it looked like one. I’m resurfacing from about 40 hours of hibernation now that I am in Delhi and I landed here for being with family over the long weekend. I was flying in the afternoon, since I needed to be in Delhi by the evening, and I had run a quick day at work, because I needed to firm up some things at office rather than work from home. Missed lunch in the hullabaloo that ensued, and arrived at the airport early. Still, my time management sucked, since I wanted to try out two new lounges at the Mumbai Airport for you guys, and I only had time for one now.…

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A visit inside the relics of Air India

by Ajay 5 Comments

The last I checked, I hadn’t visited an airline office in years, unless you’d count hangar visits and training facilities into the list. The internet and telephone pretty much does it for me. My last visit to an airline office was in 2008 if my memory serves me right, and this was to an Air India ticketing office in Mumbai, because they couldn’t issue my tickets to Singapore online for some reason. And then, it happened again, a visit to the same Air India office yesterday afternoon. It was not like I wanted to go or something, I’d rather have been punching away emails or making work phone calls or doing something productive. However, I was in the neighbourhood for…

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ICICI Bank withdraws Kingfisher Airlines co-branded credit cards

by Ajay Leave A Comment

This has been long coming actually. Back in January 2013, American Express withdrew their co-branded card partnership with Kingfisher Airlines. It seems ICICI Bank followed closely after but in a not so public manner, and has now announced the plan of action to discontinue their partnership with Kingfisher Airlines, due to discontinuation of the said airlines’ services. As per their announcement: We wish to inform you that the ICICI Bank and Kingfisher Airlines co-brand Credit Card program has been discontinued due to discontinuation of Kingfisher Airlines services. As a result, the ICICI Bank Kingfisher Airlines Credit Card will be valid till March 31, 2013. For your convenience, an ICICI Bank Platinum MasterCard Credit Card will be issued to you in…

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Going Dutch: Hotel Manhattan, Rotterdam

by Ajay 6 Comments

Introduction Check-in: Clipper Lounge, Terminal 2, Mumbai Airborne: Flight 9W228 (BOM-BRU), Jet Airways, Premiere (A332) Hotel Manhattan, Rotterdam Hotel Sheraton Brussels Airport, Brussels Check-in: Jet Airways Lounge, Brussels Airborne: Flight 9W227 (BRU-BOM), Jet Airways, Premiere (A333) After landing up from my flight to Brussels airport, my usual routine is to walk up to the train station situated right under the airport, and buy a ticket to my destination in the Netherlands. If I don’t have much time, I choose to take the Thaly’s but if I do have the time, I take the Belgian international trains. However, this time, the snow seemed to have had other plans for me. I wanted to take the Thaly’s and make it quick, but…

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Get Lounge Access with Visa Cards in India (2013 edition)

by Ajay 60 Comments

One of my intentions to be writing this blog is to help you guys travel well. Last year, I wrote about Lounge Access with MasterCard plastic in India, which has become one of the highest accessed posts on this blog. Some of the other tools I’ve created earlier this year is the list of the best mileage credit cards in India, and a calculator which helps you find the best mileage earning CC for your needs. The Visa Lounge Access program has been in operation for a while now and is currently valid till September 2013. Under this program, all premium Visa cardholders (Visa Signature or Visa Infinite) from various banks get free access to lounges and airport restaurants in…

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It can be a royal pain to get the ICICI Bank Jet Airways credit card

by Ajay 12 Comments

There, I said it! I’ve covered all the 3 co-branded partnerships between Jet Airways and different banks on this blog whenever they were introduced. I’ve also gone through the process of acquiring all these cards over a period of time, proof enough of how much I love collecting JP Miles. There has been a certain amount of enthusiasm and confusion wrapped around all the three products launched by the various banks, but ICICI takes the cake. Let me share my experience with acquiring all the 3 cards and the story so far. HDFC Bank: HDFC Bank was the first off the block in August 2012, announcing their credit card partnership with Jet Airways. Since I already had a HDFC Bank…

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Review: Flight 9W228 BOM-BRU on Jet Airways Premiere (A332)

by Ajay 9 Comments

a glass of beer and a bowl of nuts

Introduction Check-in: Clipper Lounge, Terminal 2, Mumbai Airborne: Flight 9W228 (BOM-BRU), Jet Airways, Premiere (A332) Hotel Manhattan, Rotterdam Hotel Sheraton Brussels Airport, Brussels Check-in: Jet Airways Lounge, Brussels Airborne: Flight 9W227 (BRU-BOM), Jet Airways, Premiere (A333) After the trip to the Clipper Lounge, my flight’s boarding was announced and I headed to the gate. There was a separate queue for Premiere class boarding and I headed through that queue to the plane. There was a secondary security check on the gate as well. Jet Airways 228 Mumbai(BOM) – Brussels(BRU) Tuesday, March 12 2013 Depart: 2:05AM Arrive: 07:50AM Duration: 10hr15min Distance flown: 4,271 miles Aircraft: Airbus A330-200 Seat: 2D (Premiere Business) Meal Service: Dinner (Refreshment), Breakfast I was flying the Mumbai…

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