A couple of weeks back I posted about the Uber Mumbai debacles that have been happening all over the place. It did not look like I was the lone fellow who was affected by the downward spiral of one of my favourite technology companies. There were others too. Anyhow, the GM of Uber Mumbai called me up one fine day to discuss the issues I faced. My first question was how did they get my phone number, and why did they extract it from the database without my permission. No answers there. We decided that we should catch up sometime face to face to be able to take this discussion forward. Since Uber had stood me up one time before,…
AirAsia India plans slew of fees, gets thundered by DGCA
AirAsia India is all set to launch next week, and while they are keeping all their cards very close to their chest, it seems the regulator DGCA does not like some of their plans, because they were not informed in advance. Like I wrote last week, Air Asia went down the path followed by SpiceJet in their INR 5 tickets during the launch sale last Friday. How did they turn out different than the other low-fare carriers in India? They plan to charge for everything which is their model across the rest of Asia where they operate. Here is a screen grab of their charges which they want to put out. How is it different? For one, Indigo, SpiceJet and…
Emirates to operate the A380 on Dubai–Mumbai route from July 21, 2014
A few days back I wrote about the announcement of Emirates to fly their A380s into Mumbai, close on the heels of Singapore Airlines launching their A380 services in India this past weekend. We now have a firm date for this move. Emirates will switch flights EK500 and EK501, which used to operate on the B777ER, to a three-class A380 from July 21, 2014. Here is how the new schedule of Mumbai operations looks like for Emirates: EK504 DXB0330 – 0810BOM EQV DEK506 DXB0935 – 1400BOM 773 DEK502 DXB1300 – 1730BOM EQV DEK508 DXB1610 – 2035BOM 772 DEK500 DXB2155 – 0230+1BOM 388 D EK501 BOM0430 – 0600DXB 388 DEK505 BOM0945 – 1115DXB EQV DEK507 BOM1515 – 1645DXB 773 DEK503 BOM1900…
What is the fuss with Jet Airways not clearing upgrades?
Some things are like the Unicorn, and getting a Jet Airways voucher upgrade is like one of them. Jet Airways gives out a certain number of paper upgrade vouchers to elite members of the Jet Privilege program: 1 to Silver, 3 to Gold and 5 to Platinum members. I had explained the use of these vouchers in this post a couple of years back, and the same rules exist still. Upgrades are not so hard to use in any other program that I am a member of, such as American Airlines. Many a times, you can get instant confirmations, and at other times they will place you on an upgrade waitlist, which is known to everyone, is rule based, and…
You guys make it worth it!
I’ve been writing this blog roughly for about 3 years, and when I started writing this blog, it was because of my own concern that there was no one place to get access to miles & points resources from an Indian perspective. Yes, there is Flyertalk but you need your geek quotient to be high to be around there and get a hang of everything happening there. Its been a long journey, and at the right time I guess, because over the past 3 years I’ve seen points and miles taking mainstay in India with various airlines rejigging their travel programs to make it more accepted with the common folk, and the flurry of the Jet Airways, Air India and…
Air India extends 25% award redemption discount till 30 June 2014
In late April, I had written about Air India’s Flying Returns program offering a 25% discount for redemption tickets on Air India flights, for flights which will be taken before May 31, 2014. This is a very generous discount promotion, because of two reasons: The promotion is valid for domestic and international flights both, only on Air India metal, unlike Jet Airways 20% discount past 2 years which was only valid for Domestic flights. The promotion is valid across classes of travel, all the way up to first class. Now, they have extended this promotion for travel in June 2014 as well, and as a result if you will book yourself a ticket on Air India via miles, you should…
Air Asia to sell INR 5 tickets till June 01, 2014
Air Asia is going to be starting its ticket sales for its India operations which will start between Bangalore – Goa and Bangalore – Chennai in a few days. To come out with a splash, they are selling INR 5 base fare tickets, 15000 of them. Other tickets will go away at INR 990 later. Be aware that the Bangalore – Goa route will start on June 12, while Bangalore – Chennai route will operate from June 19 onwards. Here are the schedules: BLR-GOI I51320 1510-1625 GOI-BLR I51321 1655-1805 BLR-MAA I51211 0555-0655 MAA-BLR I51212 0730-0830 BLR-MAA I51217 1835-1935 MAA-BLR I51218 2050-2150 The tickets for this promotion are valid for booking till June 1, 2014 and flying till October 25, 2014.…
Marriott offering 1 free night on 2 paid nights in India (via Expedia)
Marriott Hotels is working with Expedia in India to offer 1 free night on 2 paid nights promotion, valid for bookings made till August 31, 2014 and stays till September 30, 2014. Under this promotion, you can choose to stay for 2 or more paid nights at a participating Marriott property in India, and you can add on a complimentary night at the end of your stay. Alternately, you can collect a complimentary voucher on check-out, which can be used for a stay at a later date, however this stay will also be at the same hotel. The following is a list of Marriott properties in India: Courtyard by Marriott Ahmedabad Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru JW…
Air Asia India to fly Bangalore-Goa for INR 990 a.i. from June 12
Yesterday, I put in some details about the expected start of Air Asia India from June 12, 2014. Further, my prediction was that Chennai (MAA) – Bangalore (BLR) was going to be the first route for them. Turns out I was not entirely correct with that. Air Asia will be operating Bangalore (BLR) – Goa (GOI) on June 12, 2014 as its first flight at 3 PM. They have priced the tickets at INR 990 all inclusive, and plan to turn around the plane in 30 minutes. And not all tickets would be at these prices. The next route to be operated will be Bangalore (BLR) – Chennai (MAA) which will operate 2x daily frequencies. So it will be a…
Air Asia India set to launch on June 12, 2014
Air Asia India has been a long time in the coming, and it is going to be here now in two weeks. They have been assigned the tailsign I5 by IATA for Indian operations. As per Tony Fernandes on Twitter, tickets will go on sale tomorrow (May 30, 2014) and the first flight will take place on June 12, 2014. Very very proud to announce AirAsia India open for sale tomorrow. Wow. First flight June 12th. Ser you all In India on the 12th. — Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) May 29, 2014 I’ll fill you guys in the details when I can get some more. Related Posts: Air Asia India all set to launch Air Asia is coming to India,…
Ginger Hotels offering a free night on booking today
Ginger Hotels is the budget hotel arm of the Tata Group, the same people who run the Taj Chain of Luxury Hotels, and offers hotels across India in prominent cities and tourist destinations at very reasonable prices. I’ve stayed at their New Delhi Railway Station Yatra Niwas property and it was very good value for the price paid. Ginger Hotels is running a flash sale, where they are offering 1 night free on every reservation made, and is valid for booking till end of 29th May 2014, and stays till July 31, 2014. Under this promotion, you could book any number of nights, and the chain will comp you one night of stay. I was able to pull up quite…
