News

Air India Introduces Self-baggage Drop, Self-check-in Facility At Delhi Airport

New-Delhi headquartered air carrier Air India has introduced a integrated self-baggage drop and self-kiosk check-in service at Terminal 3 of Delhi airport, catering to both domestic and international flights. This initiative makes Air India the first Indian carrier to provide such a service. Who all can avail the service? As of now, this service is accessible to passengers travelling to Australia and on all domestic flights within India. Air India passengers will now have the convenience of a seamless digital process that allows them to print their boarding passes and baggage tags independently, eliminating the need to go through traditional check-in counters. The kiosks offer travellers the flexibility to customise their journeys by selecting preferred seats and updating their frequent flyer information, among other features. Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience and Ground Handling Officer, Air India, said, "This facility eliminates the queue waiting time for check-in over the counters and helps travellers to nearly breeze through the airport. We not only plan to extend this for flights to more countries around the world but also intend to introduce it at other airports in India as well as at major airports in other parts of the world. Our continued effort remains to simplify processes and elevate the customer experience so that our guests can enjoy travelling as much as we love flying them." The airline plans to extend this service to additional international routes in the near future, ensuring an even broader range of passengers can benefit from this modern and customer-centric approach to air travel.

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IndiGo adds additional connectivity from Pune and Bengaluru for the festive season

IndiGo, India’s leading airline, is thrilled to announce the introduction of new domestic flights. These new flight options have been introduced in response to the surging demand for travel during the approaching festive and holiday season. IndiGo has introduced additional flights on the Chennai-Pune route, starting from September 05, 2023. The airline has also introduced flights between Pune-Rajkot, w.e.f. September 06, 2023. Additionally, flights between Pune-Hirasar will be introduced from October 02, 2023. Moreover, IndiGo has re-scheduled Pune-Mangaluru and Pune-Vishakhapatnam red-eye flights to a leisure friendly schedule and has commenced operations on routes such as Pune-Vadodara, Mangaluru-Bengaluru,and Bengaluru-Raipur, w.e.f. September 05, 2023. The addition of these new flights enhances accessibility and provides more options for people traveling between states from different regions. Mr. Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales, IndiGo said, “We are witnessing an upsurge in travel demand for the forthcoming festive / holiday season. A large part of this demand is coming from regional centers and as India’s leading carrier, we are doing our best to fulfil this need by adding new / additional flights on various sectors. These new routes will further enhance mobility, accessibility, and interstate connectivity. We recently touched the landmark of operating over 1900 daily flights, and with these additions, we are expanding our operations even further and shall strive to continue to provide affordable and hassle-free connectivity for our customers.” Enhanced connectivity to Pune, comes in view of the high demand for travel from business and leisure travelers in the state. Over the years, IndiGo has focused on expanding its base in Pune, and a majority of these routes are operated by IndiGo, owing to its vast domestic reach. In the upcoming months, the country will be celebrating a range of festivals significant to the diversity of the country such as Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri – Durga Puja, Dussehra and more national holidays. The travel and tourism industry is accordingly ramping up operations, expecting a surge in passenger load. Customers who wish to plan their travel can book tickets via our official website www.goIndiGo.in. The introduction of these flights will further bolster the airline’s domestic connectivity.

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Masks are back as Nipah virus hits Kerala: Government issues travel advisory

It is reported that Kerala’s Kozhikode district is seeing an increase in Nipah virus cases currently. The number of infected patients has increased to five, after a health worker tested positive. Nipah is a highly infectious brain-damaging infection. Though the source of the virus remains unknown, Kozhikode is under a COVID-like lockdown at present. The government of Kerala has increased the measures to avoid a mass spread and has set up a state-level control room. As per reports, Kozhikode’s nine panchayats have been declared as containment zones and more than 800 residents are under observation. Owing to the current situation, the famous Champion's Boat League race on the Chaliyar River, which was scheduled for September 24 has also been postponed. Following this, the state government has issued guidelines/advisory for those travelling to the state. 1) Masks are back and mandatory. Tourists have been advised to wear masks at all public places 2) No tourists will be allowed to enter the containment zone. 3) Outside containment zones, there’s no curbs on tourist attractions. 4) A number of important cultural celebrations and programmes have also been rescheduled because of the Nipah outbreak 5) States bordering Kerala have put up stringent checks for those with possible symptoms Apparently, this is the peak tourist season for Kerala but the virus spread has created a panic among the state's hospitality business.

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Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: Promises 12-Hour Travel Time, Completion By December

In an exciting update, Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, recently revealed that the highly anticipated Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is on track to be completed by December. This 1,386 kilometers long Expressway boasts an estimated budget of over Rs 1 lakh crore. This remarkable development is set to drastically reduce the travel time between the two iconic Indian cities to just 12 hours. Gadkari went on to share that the construction of the expressway has already reached Vadodara, and there’s an upcoming inauguration ceremony by the Prime Minister, which will extend the expressway to Ratlam. Furthermore, Gadkari announced that the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway has now reached Surat. The construction process beyond Surat has been meticulously divided into 12 packages, with six of them already awarded, and work is actively progressing on the Solapur package. It’s worth noting that the environmental concerns that once plagued the Surat to Nashik section have been expertly addressed. Gadkari further expressed his confidence that 70-80 percent of the work to reduce the distance between Delhi and Chennai by 320 kilometers will be completed by the end of the year. In another exciting development, the government is gearing up to have the Prime Minister inaugurate a 244-kilometer stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, right in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh. This eight-lane section of the Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway in Madhya Pradesh starts from Neemthur village on the Rajasthan border and concludes at Timarwani village, marking the entry point into Gujarat. The expressway weaves through the heart of Madhya Pradesh, connecting major cities like Garoth, Jaora, Ratlam, and Thandla. Construction has already kicked off for the grand 1,270-kilometer Surat-Chennai Expressway, which now ranks as India’s second-longest expressway, with a budget of Rs 45,000 crore dedicated to its realization. In yet another groundbreaking move, 703 kilometers of National Highways have been constructed using waste plastic in the flexible pavement’s wearing coat. Moreover, Gadkari unveiled his plans to introduce a policy for incorporating municipal waste in road construction.

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VISTARA ANNOUNCES DAILY NON-STOP FLIGHTS BETWEEN DELHI AND HONG KONG FROM 29 OCTOBER 2023

istara, India’s finest full-service carrier and a joint venture of Tata group and Singapore Airlines, announced daily non-stop flights between Delhi and Hong Kong, starting 29 October 2023. The airline will operate its A321neo aircraft featuring a three-class configuration on this route. Bookings for the flights are being progressively opened on all channels, including Vistara’s website, mobile app, and through travel agents. Mr. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “We are delighted to add Hong Kong to our fast-growing global network. Hong Kong is one of the world’s most premier financial and commercial hubs that continues to draw significant corporate traffic from India. It has also been a very popular destination for Indian tourists. With the addition of Hong Kong, we are now able to offer our customers direct connectivity to and from three of the world’s top financial centres, the others being London and Singapore.” Vistara will accept all eligible customers meeting visa/entry requirements in both countries, as specified by the respective government bodies. Vistara strongly encourages its customers to fully understand these guidelines before making their bookings. Vistara is India’s highest-rated airline on Skytrax and TripAdvisor, and it has been the winner of several ‘Best Airline’ awards, besides being lauded for world-class cabin cleanliness and upholding high safety standards. The only Indian carrier to feature amongst World’s Top 20 Airlines, Vistara has been named ‘16th Best Airline’ globally, while also being recognised as the ‘Best Airline in India and South Asia’ for the third time in a row, ‘Best Airline Staff in India and South Asia’ for the fifth consecutive year, ‘Best Cabin Crew in India and South Asia’ for the third time in a row and ‘Best Business Class Airline in India and South Asia’ for the second time in a row at the coveted World Airline Awards 2023 by Skytrax. Vistara also received the ch-aviation Asia’s Third Youngest Airline Fleet award for the second consecutive year.

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Goa govt launches taxi service app to facilitate easy travel for tourists

The Goa government on Friday launched a taxi service app through which people can book a cab online to travel anywhere within the coastal state. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched the "Goa Taxi App" in the presence of state Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) chairman Ganesh Gaonkar and director of tourism Suneel Anchipaka. Speaking on the occasion, Sawant said the tourist footfall in the state will increase, once visitors are assured of their safety, and the introduction of the taxi app is a major step towards it. The app will also help bring down the travelling cost for tourists, who have been complaining about exorbitant taxi fares in the coastal state, he said. Tourists were complaining that travelling to Goa from Mumbai by flight is cheaper than travelling to a hotel in the coastal state in a taxi, the chief minister said. Khaunte said "Goa Taxi App" has been operational at the Manohar International Airport (MIA), Mopa since the last six months after its soft launch.

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