Hello everyone from Mumbai. Last week was a roller coaster ride in the Indian travel space with the original doyen of aviation in India – the Tatas flexing their muscle. And now that we are breaking into the festive season, banks have started doling out offers like never before. While I work on my credit card spending strategy, let’s catch up on last week’s action in our weekly roundup.
Our Top Stories
Last week, Jet Airways‘ new paper-less voucher upgrade system went online. I had a bunch of e-vouchers that were expiring soon, so I decided to test out the new process. The whole thing barely took a few minutes, and the procedure was a breeze. HDFC Bank, India’s largest arguably, has a fantastic promotion going on where you earn 10X Reward points on your credit card spends. If done with the right card you can make a reward rate upwards of 50%!
- HDFC 10X Reward Points to Credit Card Customers this Diwali
- Why the HDFC Bank Credit Card Diwali Offer is insanely generous!
- How to use the Jet Airways upgrade voucher online?
- Hilton India Festivals Sale: Get 35% off on Indian Hotels
News and Views
The week started with the Tata group asserting control in Air Asia, and it ended with a possibility of them acquiring Jet Airways. Spicejet, on the other hand, will become the first Indian carrier to have in-flight WiFi. They say it is going to be free, but for how long? PrivatAir will bring their Boeing 737s back on the Pune-Frankfurt route. It looks like Lufthansa didn’t want to have the dubious distinction of operating the world’s worst flight.
- Free SpiceJet WiFi: What’s the catch?
- The IndiGo Juggernaut rolls on
- Are the Tatas considering buying a stake in Jet Airways?
- Roundup: Points & Pints and Mileage Mentor MasterClass Bengaluru
- Jet Airways grounds four widebody airframes temporarily
- Turkey E-Visa at Istanbul Airport being discontinued
- AirAsia India’s hat-trick of industry outsider CEOs
- Lufthansa resumes PrivatAir 737 Frankfurt to Pune service
- Redeem JPMiles for Hotels Now!
- Lufthansa upgrades Business Class on their Pune to Frankfurt flight
- WOW Air drops 5 USA destinations including New York JFK & Dallas
- Festive Offer on the next/last Mileage Mentor MasterClass Mumbai!
Reviews
Rohini flew the Emirates 777-300 ER from Dubai to Rome as part of her holiday itinerary. The hard product was good, but at the same time, the food wasn’t something to write home about. I reviewed SpicEngage, SpiceJet’s WiFi streaming based IFE and found it to be good for short domestic flights.
- A Roman Holiday: Introduction
- Review: Emirates EK99 Dubai to Rome, Economy (Boeing 777-300ER)
- Review: The Westin Excelsior Rome, Italy
- Trying out SpicEngage: SpiceJet in-flight entertainment
Cards and Rewards
Credit cards are turning out be the stars of this year’s festive shopping deals. Yes Bank is giving out 5X reward points while Amex is rewarding IndusInd Amex credit card spends with Marriott vouchers. Staying at a Hyatt Place in the near future? You can earn American Airline AAdvantage miles in addition to World of Hyatt points as well!
- Review: AmEx Platinum Charge Card India
- Marriott vouchers on IndusInd Amex spends!
- Earn 1,000 American Airlines bonus miles on Hyatt stays
- HDFC Bank Credit Card Diwali offer: the gift that keeps on giving
- The Great JPMiles Festival offers you 100K JPMiles for redemptions
- This Diwali, 5X Points on Yes Bank Credit Cards!
- Now you can play the 29 Ways Marriott Sweepstakes everyday
Deals with Appeal
Singapore Airlines is back with their KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes discount where you can get up to 43% off on award tickets. Emirates has some good fares from the UAE if you plan to come to India around Diwali. Look out for the ladoos on these flights during Diwali.
- KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes: 43% discount on SQ Redemptions to USA!
- Emirates’ Diwali Offer on fares from UAE
Mileage Mentor MasterClass
We’re conducting the Mileage Mentor MasterClass one last time at Mumbai later next month. Make sure to grab a spot soon. And as this is the festive season, pick up your tickets with our special Dussehra offer.
Have a great week ahead!
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