There are these thing in airports. They are called security cameras. You’ll notice them especially present in duty free shops. But apparently one Air India captain thought he could outsmart them. Rohit Bhasin is not only a senior captain for Air India, but also a Regional Director. He was part of the flight crew on […]
United Airlines Looks Past Air India To New Partner
As United Airlines plans expansion India, it will add full-service Vistara as a codeshare partner later this year. United Airlines plans to resume its Newark – Delhi service this autumn and commence new San Francisco – Delhi service in December. As it seeks to offers it passengers more reliable onward connections and feed its longhaul […]
Is EL AL Spreading Rumors Of Air India’s Collapse?
Air India has a message it wants to make loud and clear: we are not on the verge of collapse. But if you’ve been reading newspapers lately in Israel, you may have been told otherwise. In an interesting story of intrigue and what may be unfriendly competition, several Israeli media outlets recently reported that Air […]
Air India Scraps Four 777s But Wants Five From Jet Airways…
Air India has approached the State Bank of India to lease five Boeing 777 aircraft owned by now-defunct Jet Airways. The irony, though, is that Air India cannot even afford to keep its own (relatively young) 777s flying! As Jet Airways continues to explore ways to save itself and resume flying, it is looking into […]
FYI: Air India Award Space Currently Not Bookable With United Miles
If you’re trying to book an Air India flight using your United miles, you cannot…at least for the time being. United Airlines has had some issues with its Star Alliance partner award inventory lately. For several weeks, bookings with Thai Airways and TAP Air Portugal were not available (they are back). ANA was down for […]
India’s Grand Plan To Save Air India
If you can’t sell it, you might as well pour $330 million more tax dollars into it, right? That’s the new plan for Air India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Parliament for 23 billion rupees ($330 million USD) to “turn Air India profitable” once again. This comes after the Modi government tried and failed […]
Air India Seeks New Government Bailout To Pay Bills
Beleaguered Air India is seeking another $309MN from the Indian government to pay off vendors, further scaring away potential investors. The Indian government, which currently owns a 76% stake in Air India, has been actively courting investors to buy its stake. Thus far, no one has stepped up. And is it any wonder when the […]
FAA Grounds Air India 777 Due to Missing Seat Belt Tags!
An Air India 777 booked to capacity was delayed for more than eight hours in Chicago after a surprise safety inspection by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) discovered something sinister…missing seat belt tags! Apparently the flight was preparing to depart when surprise inspectors from the FAA showed up and demanded to examine the aircraft. The […]
Air India Confirms Service to Dallas and Los Angeles
Air India will begin service to Los Angeles and Dallas later this year, in addition to previously announced service to Washington DC. In a Facebook post, Air India’s Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani outlined several new routes. These include: Washington Dulles (from 07 July) Stockholm Arlanda (from 15 August) Los Angeles (from 01 September) Though no specific service […]
Air India’s Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to Win Back Customers
Somewhere in an Air India Executive Board Room in New Delhi, celebration is erupting. The Indian flag carrier claims that bookings to the USA have doubled since the in-flight electronics ban was announced– According to Air India sources, bookings to the US have doubled from 150 a day to 300 in the two weeks since the […]
Air India Award Space Now Bookable on united.com
Air India is a Star Alliance member with a surprisingly robust worldwide route network. With a great seat in business and first class (service is another story, I hear) the carrier provides a valuable link to the Indian subcontinent. Award space has been searchable on Aeroplan and ANA’s website, but has been shielded from the […]
Air India: Rats on a Plane
Despite my love of German autos, I do not own one and instead use public transportation daily in Frankfurt. While the system is great for getting just about anywhere in town (and indeed, in the country), the underground stations have a serious rodent problem – it is not uncommon to be waiting for the next […]
Air India Joins Star Alliance
After years of drama, Indian flag carrier Air India has formally partnered with Star Alliance and becomes the first Indian carrier to join a global air alliance. I remember all too well how the drama unfolded in 2011 while I was working at Star Alliance and am relieved that the bitter controversy is now history […]
Air India Again Positions Itself for Star Alliance Membership
When I worked for Star Alliance in 2011, the politics surrounding Air India’s failed bid to join the Alliance were fascinating. I am bound from disclosing the nitty gritty details, but the situation opened my eyes to how much maneuvering and backstabbing goes on in the airline industry. Now Air India is again making a […]
Air India Passengers Wait 9 Hours to Travel from London Gatwick to Heathrow
I offer my condolences to the 300+ passengers on Air India flight 131 from Mumbai to London earlier this week, who were trapped on a 777 for nine hours in a comedy of errors that further diminishes the image of Air India. Fog is not something out of the ordinary in London, but the early […]
Air India Has No Money to Pay for Boeing 787s
Poor Air India. When faced with a bloated staff and sagging financial numbers, rather than trim back operations and layoff non-essential personnel, they compensated for their abnormally high aircraft to staff ratio by ordering new airplanes–27 Boeing 787s. The second carrier slated to take delivery of the Dreamliner (ANA will be first) now finds itself […]
Court Orders Air India To Rehire Flight Attendant Fired For Being Too Fat
I generally avoid stories about weight because it is a sensitive topic that isn’t worth getting people worked up over (unlike the TSA…), but I do want to update you on an ongoing legal battle in India which has finally concluded. 44-year-old Nipa Dhar was dismissed from her job as in 2001 as an Air India […]
United Airlines Bans “Tandoori Karen” After Racist Tirade Against Indian-American Family
United Airlines has reportedly banned a woman from future travel on “the Friendly Skies” after a not-so-friendly racist encounter with an Indian-American family at Los Angeles International Airport. “Tandoori Karen” Rages Against Insidan-Americans At Los Angeles International Airport After United Airlines Flight A United flight from Cancun (CUN) to Los Angeles (LAX) landed at LAX […]
My Indian Visa Scare At Paro International Airport
It was time to head home from Bhutan and I had booked a rather complicated route back on three separate tickets. While trying to check in for my Bhutan Airlines flight to Delhi, I encountered an Indian visa issue that nearly scuttled the trip home. Indian Visa Scare On Bhutan Airlines – Transit Without Visa […]
El Salvador Adds $1,130 “Airport Improvement Fee” For Africans, Indians
As flagged by One Mile At A Time, El Salvador has added a staggeringly high tariff it calls an “Airport Improvement Fee” for citizens of India and several African nations who are flying through El Salvador International Airport. New “Airport Improvement Fee” Targets Citizens Of India, Africa Flying Via El Salvador International Airport Passengers traveling […]
