IndiaFlights, Author at CheapIndiaFlights.com

Amazon Video Comes to JetBlue

Airlines Comments Off

Nov 292015

Amazon Video is rolling out on 150 JetBlue aircraft equipped with the airline’s free Fly-Fi broadband Internet.

Amazon Prime members flying on JetBlue can sign-in or sign-up to access tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes and can also rent/buy videos in flight.

Unlike the nightmarish quality WiFi on most airlines, Fly-Fi is supposed to to provide broadband Internet speeds similar to what customers get at home.

Fly-Fi users also get the ability to stream video and use multiple devices simultaneously.

Fly-Fi is currently available on JetBlue’s Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft but not on the Embraer 190 fleet.

Air India Mulls Direct Flights to Washington DC

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Nov 282015

India’s national carrier Air India is considering a direct flight to Washington D.C.

Air India used to operate a flight to Washington D.C. via New York but discontinued the service a few years back.

Also under consideration at the struggling airline are flights to more U.S. cities from various metros in India.

Air India now flies directly to three U.S. cities (New York, Newark and Chicago) and is preparing to add San Francisco to its route map.

San Francisco Flight

Air India’s direct flight to San Francisco starts December 2, 2015.

With a flight time of nearly 17 hours, the Delhi-San Francisco flight will use Air India’s B77-200LR plane.

There’s a huge population of Indians in the Bay Area given its proximity to Silicon Valley.

The San Francisco flight will leave Delhi on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday while the return service will be on Thursday, Saturday and Monday.

The flight will have a three-cabin configuration with eight seats in first class, 35 in business and 195 in economy.

Passengers from Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad and Pune are supposed to get a convenient connection to the San Francisco flight from Delhi.

But given Air India’s reputation for poor service, it remains to be seen whether the initial euphoria over the Delhi-San Francisco flight can be sustained.

Jet Adds More Flights in India

Airlines Comments Off

Apr 242015

Jet Airways has extended its route network inside India with the addition of 31 flights to its 2015 summer schedule.

The airline has introduced a total of 23 inbound and outbound flights from the capital New Delhi to the major metros (Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad), and to Tier II and Tier III cities including Guwahati, Lucknow, Patna, Srinagar, Jaipur and Pune.

Some of the new flights are said to include late night departures from Delhi to Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune and Bengaluru.

Hoping to capitalize on the buoyant business and tourist travel trends in India, the airline also boosted frequencies to Pune, Goa and Imphal taking total new flights to 31.

According to Jet Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer Raj Sivakumar, “The additional frequencies in the 2015 summer schedule will significantly enhance travel options for our guests. We have witnessed a growing demand in the domestic sector for business and leisure travel. We are confident that these new flights will prove popular with our guests.”

Jet Airways operates flights to 73 destinations in India and abroad.

U.S. Steps Up Ebola Monitoring of Travelers

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Oct 222014

Effective Monday, October 27, 2014, U.S. authorities will intensify monitoring of travelers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to prevent Ebola from spreading in America.

Travelers from the three Ebola-hit countries must report to health officials daily and take their temperature twice a day.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that the new rules would apply both to visitors from these countries as well as returning American aid workers, journalists and U.S. health employees.

New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Georgia will be the first states where the new monitoring rules kick in Monday. Most travelers from the Ebola outbreak region are headed for one of these six states.

U.S. officials have yet to decide whether the incoming travelers must report to health authorities in person, phone or via Skype.

The new steps are on top of the health screening that passengers must go through before leaving West Africa and after they reach U.S. airports

So far one person, Thomas Eric Duncan, has died of Ebola in the U.S. and two nurses who cared for Duncan got infected and remain hospitalized.

Several Indian Pilots Consume Alcohol Before Flights

Airlines, General Comments Off

May 252014

Fliers in India should be worried about not only the state of their aircraft but the status of the pilots as well.

India’s Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) disclosed in response to a Right to Information filed by a media organization that between 2009 and February 2014, 165 pilots were found to have high blood alcohol levels during checks.

The scary part is that since the DGCA is understaffed it’s unable to verify if airlines are conducting mandatory blood alcohol checks of pilots before every flight.

Sadly, DGCA has not disclosed the names of the airlines where the drunk pilots work.

Aircraft rules in India prohibit pilots and cabin crew from consuming alcohol 12 hours before the start of a flight.

For the first offense, a crew member’s license will be suspended for three months.

A two-year suspension for the second offense and five-year suspension for the third offense are the penalties.

Delhi Pilots Top Drunks List

Delhi had the dubious distinction of having 50 pilots reporting for duty with alcohol in their system.

Mumbai was a close second with 47 pilots arriving at the airport with a high blood alcohol level.

Kolkata took the third spot with 18 pilots reporting for work after sipping the cup that cheers.

The Southern city of Chennai had 17 pilots coming after consuming liquor.

Connecting Flights – Worst & Best Airports

Airlines, General Comments Off

Aug 272013

There’s no travel nightmare worse than having to land at an airport and run to your gate to catch the connecting flight only to discover that the plane is already in the air.

Your holiday or business meeting is ruined, beyond salvage!

Ranking of Airports

A new study has ranked the world’s worst and best airports for connecting flights.

The airports are ranked upon the number of barriers and amount of time needed at each airport to get between its furthest gates once travelers have cleared security and passport control.

The study is by Mo’Zippity Apps, which offers the Connect On Time app for iPhones and iPads to provide gate-to-gate connect times for 42 of the world’s top airports.

Worst Airports

The worst airports generally have poor on-time departure and arrival records, illogical layouts, inefficient security and passport control checkpoints and gates that are more than an hour apart.

Connecting Flights - Worst Airports

Beijing Capital International (PEK) gained the dubious honor of being on top of the world’s worst airport list for connecting flights.

At Beijing Capital International, you’ll need 1-your and 27-minutes to get between its furthest gates after clearing security and passport control.

Beijing Capital has a dismal 30% on-time record and stressed-out passengers struggle to reach their connecting gates on time.

Best Airports

Zurich Airport (ZRH) made it to the top of the best airports for connecting flights.

At Zurich, you’ll need a mere 10 minutes to get between its furthest gates after clearing security and passport control.

Connecting Flights - Best Airports

Best airports usually have better than 70% on-time departure and arrival records, logical layouts, efficient security and passport control checkpoints, connected airsides, and gates that are no more than a half an hour apart.

Allot More Time

Mo’Zippity Apps’ president Wayne Chen recommends while considering which connecting flight to book travelers allot at least an hour between flights to account for unexpected delays and wait times at the Best airports, and three hours at the Worst.

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