Last minute update for Diwali flying!

I am assuming a lot of the readers based in India are going to be criss-crossing the country over the next days to be with your family and friends for the festivities. Airfares are soaring, the airports are more like dignified waiting rooms but flying across is still the quickest way to make it. In case you are having a last minute change of plans or change of heart, here is a quick roundup of all the promos still running for you to be able to save some money on flying: Jet Airways: ‘Celebration Fares’ from Jet Airways are offering a 10% off on Base Fares + Fuel Surcharge for Roundtrip bookings and INR 200 for oneway bookings on Jet…

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Hello 6E!

If that sounds like anything but an airline code, I would not blame you. But truth be told 6E is a sexy airline to fly. Okay, don’t get ideas here. They are professional, fun to fly with and honestly trying to get you to your destination in time, that is all! I haven’t flown much of Indigo this year, because I thought I was going to fly Jet Airways as much as I could. But with Jet chipping away member benefits of their frequent flyer program one by one, I saw reason to diversify. This has only been my third flight with Indigo this year, but I have another three segments booked up in the upcoming month, like I shared…

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The next 5,000 miles!

While I am always ready to wheel-up on an international flight, the next few weeks are getting ready to get on a domestic flight, something I haven’t done in 3 months now. For the upcoming festive season, I am heading over to Delhi to be with my family. Right after is the inaugural F1 Grand Prix of India, which I am looking forward to. The last time I was at the first race in any country was 2008 in Singapore, and it is always quite an experience to be at one. Flying Indigo this time, and it is the first time after January 2011 that I get to fly one of their A320s. I head back to Delhi again on…

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Get set to receive a free Hilton night this week in 5 cities across the globe!

It all started with the IHG contest to give away free Intercontinental nights, which SPG quickly followed suite to give out nights on a Facebook contest. And now that those contests are over, Hilton is coming up with a promo all this week to give away free night certificates in a treasure hunt contest it will conduct in 5 cities across the globe this week, so one for each working day. 100 certificates to be given away each day to celebrate the quarterly promo of Hilton where you get a free award night certificate. However, unlike the other contests which were centered around social media, Hilton’s treasure hunt will involve more physical activity. To sign-up, you need to start following…

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Etihad 48-hour 25% off sale on India to USA fares!

Etihad Airways is offering a special 48 hours sale (valid till 14th October 2011) on economy class tickets from India to all its US destinations. Etihad, the national airlines of the UAE and cousin to Emirates, came up with a new deal as of today to bump up volumes on its Shorthaul product from India to Abu Dhabi and the long-haul product to the USA. In India, Etihad flies from 8 airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and all the 3 airports in Kerala. After a quick transit at Abu Dhabi, you are off to New York or Chicago on an A340-500. This is a sweet deal if you are intending to head up to the USA from India…

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Why I think of Kingfisher Airlines customer service as dumb!

Kingfisher Airlines is owned by a liquor baron, but that is not an excuse for their customer service staff to act dumb all the time! Here are two of their acts that are forcing me to believe this ways: Dumb Act One: As a part of the welcome package for King Club Gold members, you get a Lounge Access Voucher. Since King Club elites already get lounge access, this voucher is transferable, and I could transfer this to someone travelling on a Kingfisher flight. I gave it to my dad, who is not a frequent traveller on Kingfisher Airlines, and was using them to fly DEL-BOM one fine day in May. He got over home to tell me that they…

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Promo fares are back on Jet Airways till 31st October 2011

This is how it works. Close one promo, start the same one with a new name again a few days later. Last month, Jet Airways was offering 100K seats on sale where they offered 10% off on base fare + fuel surcharge if booking a roundtrip using their website. This promo just got over 3 days back (8th October 2011). As of today, it is back, under the name of Celebration Fares. If booking a Jet Airways round trip ticket for domestic travel (on Economy/Business fares on Jet, Jetlite or Jet Konnect), you get 10% off on base fare + fuel surcharge. Bookings open only on the jetairways.com website till 31st October 2011. If you want to travel one way,…

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Reminder: Win free SPG resort nights all this week!

Like I mentioned last week, SPG brought out the ‘Award Nights Count’ benefit with effect from 1st October 2011, and came out with an interesting contest along with it to promote the offer. They are giving away 2 free resort nights to one winner everyday, who participates in a Facebook contest and identifies the picture of one of Starwood’s many resorts correctly. The contest started Monday 3rd October 2011, and is open till 14th October 2011. The picture changes between 11 – 11:59 Eastern Time every day. Here is the link to the Facebook page where you should be heading towards, fast! Look out for the ‘Award Nights Count’ tab towards the left center of the page. All the best!…

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Review: Chennai Airport (MAA) and Airborne to Colombo(CMB) on 9W254 in Economy

Introduction & Trip Index Considering Jet Airways was out to prove a point, they had put out their Guest Relations manager at Chennai on the job to make sure my transit at Chennai was smooth. I arrived at the Domestic Terminal of the Chennai Airport, and I had a porter waiting for me right outside the plane waiting to bring our handbags to the International Terminal. He insisted to carry my bag but I had to really request him and plead with him that I was okay carrying my own bag! He brought us to the Arrival area of the Chennai Airport, where I was coming after quite a few years. There was construction going around all over, and I…

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