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Do not deface passportcover, says MEA in stern warning to travel agents

Hyderabad: The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has asked passport holders to ensure the travel document’s cover is not defaced. It also sent a communication to this effect to the Regional Passport Office (RPO), Hyderabad. On Thursday, regional passport officer Dasari Balaiah released the MEA’s stern warning through an official statement to the media here. “The outer cover of the Indian passport carries the national emblem with Ashoka Chakra and has security features. Pasting adhesives or promotional stickers by agents can mask the national emblem and tamper with the security features. It may also cause difficulties in assessing the genuineness of the passports and thereby lead to issues for Indian travellers at immigration points,” the release stated. It highlighted the alarming trend where travel agents have been defacing the cover of Indian passports by pasting their agency or company stickers. The practice undermines the sanctity of the passport.

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Air India, IndiGo's expanding wings are making Indians' finances weak airfare discounts fly out

Ticket prices in India's airline market are on the rise as the industry transitions into a duopoly dominated by IndiGo and Air India. Airfares on popular routes have increased, and small airlines are struggling to compete. This consolidation is expected to leave consumers with fewer choices and higher prices. However, higher prices can help sustain airlines' profit the post-pandemic recovery, as low fares have previously led to the collapse of several carriers. As India’s airline market transforms into a duopoly, ticket prices that have long known to be dirt-cheap are climbing. Airfares on India’s busiest route, Mumbai–New Delhi, were 23 percent higher during January through August than 2022, according to Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel. India also saw the highest airfare surge — 41 percent — in the region in the first three months of this year compared with 2019, a study by Airports Council International Asia Pacific found. The higher prices come at a time when two domestic carriers — IndiGo and Air India Ltd. — are set to control the bulk of one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, while most smaller rivals struggle to stay afloat in the notoriously competitive market. IndiGo, India’s biggest carrier with a market share of 63 percent, is poised to capture more passenger traffic with a record order of 500 Airbus SE. planes, due to join its fleet from 2030. Air India, the country’s No. 2 airline, also made a giant aircraft deal. It will grow bigger with plans to subsume Vistara — currently co-owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines Ltd. — by next year, provided it clears antitrust concerns raised. Air India is also acquiring AirAsia’s local unit and merging it with Air India Express. While big airlines are going bigger, small ones are retreating. Go Airlines India Ltd. stopped flying in May after it went belly up, blaming failing RTX’s Pratt &Whitney engines. Its revival is in limbo as it struggles to attract funding and hundreds of pilots leave the insolvent airline. Nofrills SpiceJet Ltd. is also under pressure after reporting losses for the past five years. “The aviation market in India is transitioning to a few large players,” said Rajat Mahajan, a partner at Deloitte Consulting. “With this consolidation, a couple of airlines are projected to capture about 75 percent of the market. This leaves a mere 25 percent for other players, consequently leaving consumers with fewer choices and hence pricier tickets,” said Mahajan, who is also the firm’s travel and hospitality expert. Rising airfares could threaten Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal for bringing air travel to the masses who are financially locked out of the country’s booming aviation. Only a fragment of the world’s mostpopulous nation can afford flights, while the majority relies on cheaper trains for long distance travel. Just 8.8% of the 1.4 billion population flew domestic airlines last year. After a surge in prices during the summer, the government urged airlines to keep domestic airfares within reasonable levels, especially on routes that were operated by Go Air and saw the highest fare jump due to a EVENT F&B Summit 2023 Thu, 28 Sep 2023 Pullman… Thu, 28 Sep 2023 Register Now AWARD Restaurant & Nightlife Awards 2023 Nominations till Sun, 10 Sep 2023 Nominate Now , “demand and supply imbalance.” Cutthroat Market “A significant chunk of the population is price-sensitive and will find it challenging to accommodate rising ticket prices,” said Mahajan. “The surge in airfares could potentially impact the government’s bid to make air travel more accessible to a wider demographic.” Modi’s administration in 2016 launched a program to boost regional connectivity by subsidizing ticket prices and linking underutilized airports in smaller towns and remote villages. Its goal is to connect 1,000 new routes, while 469 have been operationalized so far. But the pricey flights could hamper the effort, according to Mahajan. While expensive tickets are bad for consumers, they can help airlines sustain their post-pandemic bumper profits, boosted by the demand rebound. They are crucial for India’s cutthroat market, where several carriers have collapsed due to fares being too low to cover costs. The graveyard includes former tycoon Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. and Jet Airways India Ltd. Another factor driving up prices is inflation in labor and supply chain costs, said GeoffreyWeston, head of global airlines, logistics and transportation sector at Bain. Airlines are cutting new compensation deals to retain employees as they rebuild post pandemic, and bearing high labor costs and attrition in indirect operations such as catering, maintenance suppliers and ground handling, he said. Global supply chain snarls — exacerbated by the war in Ukraine — have hit aircraft production, resulting in scarcity of available planes. The shortage of spare parts and engine woes have grounded aircraft of airlines from IndiGo and Go Air to Deutsche Lufthansa AGthe industry is held back by a lack of labor after hundreds of thousands of workers were let go during the pandemic. This mismatch between the rising demand and shortfall of resources is straining the capacities of airlines and impacting their cash flow generation, Mahajan said, adding carriers are passing steeper operational costs to consumers. Despite the financial impacts of the pandemic, India’s growing middle class can afford high airfares. Their disposable income has increased, partly boosted by higher savings during lockdowns when spending opportunities were limited. The passenger traffic in India is higher than pre-Covid levels. “High-growth countries, especially ones with sizeable domestic markets, have come back strongly as underlying dynamics are so positive,” said Weston. Going forward, low prices from budget carriers will play a major role in stimulating demand, he said. Higher aviation fuel prices also pose a risk to low-cost travel. With Chinese fliers returning to the skies, jet fuel consumption will rise amid tight supplies and result in higher fares. Global oil prices have climbed more than 15% in the past two months. “As airfares continue to soar, people are more inclined to explore other modes of transport,” said Mahajan. “People might postpone nonessential travel. The demand might taper off once the pent-up or revenge travel subsides.

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Hotel stocks in focus; Indian, EIH, Chalet hit new highs, surge up to 7%

Growth in the industry is largely expected from domestic demand which is expected to remain strong through FY 2023-24 Shares hotel companies were on a roll on Wednesday, hitting their respective new highs and surging up to 7 per cent on the BSE in the intraday trade, on healthy business outlook. Indian Hotels Company, Chalet Hotels, EIH, and Lemon Tree Hotels among the frontline stocks were trading higher in the range of 3 per cent to 7 per cent. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 0.5 per cent at 65,401 at 01:43 PM. Further, in the past six months, these stocks have rallied between 35 and 35 per cent as against 10.9 per cent gain in the benchmark index.

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Launch of international operations from new terminal at Bengaluru airport postponed at eleventh hour

BENGALURU: In a major public relations disaster for the Kempegowda International Airport, its operator Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) cancelled the launch of its international operations from Terminal 2 on Thursday at the proverbial eleventh hour. With the first flight by Singapore Airlines set to arrive at T2 at 10.45 am on August 31, it issued an official release late on Wednesday night postponing the launch. The official reason cited was the need to offer a seamless transition for passengers. An official release put out by noon on Wednesday gave a list of all the international flights that would operate on August 31 and elaborated on the wonderful passenger amenities that T2 had in store. It also specified that the Singapore Airline flight would land at 10.45 am. Nine hours later, the airline operator did a volte face. An internal note that was circulating since morning among airport staff said operations would continue from Terminal 1 only even from Thursday. The statement by a spokesperson on Wednesday night said, “The proposed shifting of international operations to Terminal 2 at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru on August 31, 2023, stands postponed. After consulting all regulatory authorities, BIAL will release a firm date for transition of international operations tomorrow. The last-minute decision was taken during the final preparedness review in order to provide an optimal and seamless transition for our passengers. International operations will continue to remain in Terminal 1 until further notice. We regret the inconvenience caused by this decision and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work towards creating the best possible travel experience for our passengers. We request all international passengers to reach out to their respective airlines for any further information.” Even the airlines involved in the operations did not seem to know of the cancellation until evening. Singapore Airlines, Oman Air, Indigo and Air India were all set to operate a total of eight flights on Thursday. Sources inside the airport said the International 'Arrivals' and 'Departure' portions were not yet ready with the necessary passenger amenities forcing BIAL to put off the launch. “Many minor aspects like the food and beverage stalls, the infrastructure in the Security Hold Area and so many other portions were not complete. A huge rush to complete them was on since Tuesday. Airport authorities were confident of completing it by Wednesday night but it appears that they could not do as planned,” said a source familiar with the developments. Another source said that the airport operator was looking at a launch date of September 12. The official release earlier in the day billed the transition to take place on Thursday as a significant milestone for the airport. “Passengers travelling on Singapore Airlines flight SQ508/SQ509 between Singapore and Bengaluru will be the first to experience the international zone of the new terminal. IndiGo will make its debut in international operations in T2 with its flight 6E1167 to Colombo, it said. Terminal 2 will facilitate 30 to 35 daily international departures on 27 airlines (25 International and 2 Indian),” the release added. The news was greeted with incredulity on social media, with many pondering how such a big step could be cancelled at the eleventh hour like this.

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Delhi-Bound Nepal Airlines Flight From Bhairahawa Gets No Bookings On First Day

Nepal's national flag carrier on Tuesday started operating weekly flights from the Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa to Delhi and Hong Kong via Kathmandu but due to no bookings, both the flights took off without passengers. The Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) operated the flights to Delhi and Hong Kong from Bhairahawa, making Kathmandu a transit point. Both the Bhairahawa-Delhi and Bhairahawa-Hong Kong flights operated without any passengers, according to airline sources. Nepal Airlines, the national flag carrier, announced the booking of the ticket for Delhi and Hong Kong from Bhairahawa just two days before the flight schedule.

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Google will now help users book cheaper flights: here is how

This year is filled with long weekends so if love to utilise all your weekends, Google Flights has got a new feature that will help you in booking cheaper flights tickets. If you are someone who loves to find good deals and save money on your travels, Google Flights has some new features that might interest you. Whether you're planning a vacation during the holiday season or any other time of the year, a little bit of planning can make a big difference in how much you spend on your flights. Here's how Google Flights can help you find great flight deals. One of the age-old questions when booking flights is whether you should book now or wait for prices to drop. Google Flights is now making this decision easier with upgraded insights. When you search for flights, you can see if the current prices are low, typical, or high compared to past averages for the same route. New insights will also show you when prices have usually been the lowest to book your chosen dates and destination. This information can give you more confidence in your decision to book now or wait. If you're open to waiting for better fares, you can use Google Flights' price tracking feature. When you turn on price tracking, Google Flights will keep an eye on the flight prices for you. If the prices drop significantly, you'll receive notifications. You can set up tracking for specific dates or choose to get notifications about deals within the next three to six months. This feature helps you stay updated on price changes without constantly checking. When you are searching for flights, you might come across a colorful price guarantee badge. This badge means that Google is confident that the current fare is the lowest it will be before the flight. If you book one of these flights and the price drops, Google will refund you the difference through Google Pay. This feature is part of a pilot program and is available for select Book on Google itineraries departing from the U.S. Apart from these tools, Google Flights has gathered valuable information to help you travel on a budget. They've analyzed flight booking trends and found some useful insights: Christmas Travel: If you're planning to travel around Christmas, booking around early October could get you the best deals. Unlike previous years, waiting until just before departure might not give you the lowest prices anymore. The best price range is now 54 to 78 days before takeoff. Flights to Europe: If you're flying from the U.S. to Europe, it's best to book early. Average prices tend to be lowest 72 days or more before departure. Waiting too long might result in higher fares, especially when you're around 10 weeks away from departure. In a nutshell, Google Flights has become an even more powerful tool for budget-conscious travelers. With insights, price tracking, and a price guarantee, you can navigate the world of flight bookings with more confidence and save money on your next adventure.

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