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Alliance Air to fly Delhi-Shimla from April 27
April 26 (TravelAndy): Air India’s subsidiary Alliance Air will operate a Delhi-Shimla-Delhi flight from April 27.
This initiative is taken to enhance tourist footfall in Shimla, the popular hill station in north India’s Himachal Pradesh state.
“On the Delhi-Shimla leg, we will carry 35 passengers while on the return only 15 passengers will be able to fly. The government will compensate for the loss with a Viability Gap Funding of about INR3,000 per seat,” Alliance Air CEO C.S. Subbiah told The Hindu. Continue reading Alliance Air to fly Delhi-Shimla from April 27 →
First international flight from Odisha
April 26 (TravelAndy): The first international flight will land at and take off today from Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, capital of the east Indian state of Odisha.
“Odisha creates history today. The first direct international flight service commences with arrival of @AirAsia flight AK 31 from KUL to BBI,” Odisha Tourism tweeted through its official handle @odisha_tourism today.
The AirAsia flight will connect Bhubaneswar and Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital. Continue reading First international flight from Odisha →
WestJet plans to launch ultra-low-cost carrier
April 26 (TravelAndy): WestJet has announced its intention to launch a new, ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) in Canada subject to agreement with its pilots and any required regulatory approvals.
Service is expected to start in late 2017 with an initial fleet of 10 high-density Boeing 737-800s. The ULCC will provide Canadians with no-frills, lower-cost travel options.
“We have built WestJet from its low-cost, regional roots into a renowned, international airline with service to 21 countries and today it’s all about disrupting at the price-sensitive end of the market,” said Clive Beddoe, co-founder of WestJet and Chair of the Board of the Directors. “Launching a ULCC will broaden WestJet’s growth opportunities and open new market segments by offering more choice to those Canadians looking for lower fares.” Continue reading WestJet plans to launch ultra-low-cost carrier →
WestJet: Want a credit card with that flight?
April 26 (TravelAndy): Canadian airline WestJet recently announced the introduction of an exclusive WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard application offer on the payment page of the mobile version of westjet.com.
The application makes it easy for WestJet guests to apply, get approved and immediately use the card to pay for their flight booking.
“WestJet is the first Canadian airline to feature this instant credit card application during the booking process,” said Marshall Wilmot, WestJet senior vice-president, marketing and digital. “This innovative offer allows our guests to use their mobile devices to apply for the number-one ranked travel reward credit card in Canada, book a flight and take advantage of instant savings all in one session. WestJet works diligently to create programs that align directly with our award-winning guest experience. By continually raising the bar on technology we continue being easy to do business with while saving our guests time and money.” Continue reading WestJet: Want a credit card with that flight? →
Normandy in France to promote tourism
April 25 (Notintown.net): The Cotentin Peninsula – also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula – in the Normandy region of France, will soon see its many tourism boards undergo a major restructuring in the next few months.
By June this year, 11 local tourism boards will have merged into one big entity and renamed Cotentin Tourist office making it, arguably, one of the most powerful tourism boards in the country with an annual budget of EUR4 million.
Out of this budget, up to EUR1 million will be kept aside to promote Cotentin worldwide; of which India, Middle East and China will be important focus markets. Continue reading Normandy in France to promote tourism →
Air Arabia to fly Sharjah-Trabzon from June 23
March 28 (TravelAndy): Low-cost carrier Air Arabia has announced a new flight between Sharjah in the UAE and Trabzon in Turkey starting June 23, 2017.
The flight will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, departing from Sharjah International Airport at 21:30, and arriving at Trabzon International Airport at 00:05 local time the next day.
The return service will leave Trabzon at 00:45, landing in Sharjah at 05:00 local time. Continue reading Air Arabia to fly Sharjah-Trabzon from June 23 →
Laptop, tablet handling for Emirates US flights
March 26 (TravelAndy): Emirates has announced to introduce a new service to enable customers to use their laptops and tablet devices until just before they board their flights to the US.
Emirates customers travelling to the US via Dubai will be able to utilise their laptops and tablet devices on the first part of their journeys, and also during transit in Dubai. They must then declare and hand over their laptops, tablets, and other banned electronic devices to security staff at the gate just before boarding their US-bound flight. The devices will be carefully packed into boxes, loaded into the aircraft hold, and returned to the customer at their US destination. There will not be any charge for this service.
Passengers on US-bound flights starting their journeys in Dubai are encouraged to pack their electronic devices into their check-in luggage in the first instance, to avoid delays. Continue reading Laptop, tablet handling for Emirates US flights →
‘You can travel indefinitely for USD200 a month’
It’s possible to travel the world for as little as USD200 a month.
I’m not saying it. Alex says it and he has been doing it for more than a year now.
Lampros Alexis from Greece is on a mission to travel around the world on his solar-powered bicycle, which can also be pedalled when it isn’t powered enough.
TravelAndy caught up with the adventurer when he was passing through Kolkata recently. Excerpts. Continue reading ‘You can travel indefinitely for USD200 a month’ →
Istanbul-Dhaka railway route on the table
March 21 (TravelAndy): The proposal for an Istanbul to Dhaka railway route was discussed at a two-day meeting attended by the representatives of more than 11 countries in New Delhi last week.
The meeting on “Strengthening Railway Transport Connectivity in South and South West Asia” was organised by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in co-ordination with Organization for Cooperation between Railways (OSJD) and the Indian railway ministry.
Discussions were held to strengthen the rail transport and provide connectivity to the countries in South Asia and South East Asia. Among the countries that took part in the meeting are Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey and India. Continue reading Istanbul-Dhaka railway route on the table →
IRCTC publishes train food rates for awareness
March 21 (TravelAndy): The Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd. recently published a food chart with official rates to make passengers aware.
Passengers on Indian Railways often complain how unscrupulous employees charge them more than the official rate for food on trains.
The corporation published the rates on Twitter through its handle @IRCTC_Ltd, which has around 49,100 followers. Continue reading IRCTC publishes train food rates for awareness →
Holi, the festival of colours, today
March 13 (TravelAndy): Holi, the festival of colours, is being celebrated in India and various places around the world today.
Though the festival has Hindu origins, this festival, which is associated with the arrival of Spring, has in recent times transcended religious and political boundaries and is celebrated by people in many countries of the world.
In India, the festival is mainly associated with people colouring each other up with coloured powder (gulal) and water-based colours. Many also associate the festival with the drinking of bhang, an intoxicant that is typically mixed with milk shakes. Continue reading Holi, the festival of colours, today →
Malta’s iconic Azure Window arch collapses
March 9 (TravelAndy): Azure Window, the famous geographical landmark in Malta, collapsed yesterday during a storm.
The iconic structure was a 92-foot natural limestone arch on the Gozo island in Malta.
The structure, known as Tieqa tad-Dwejra in Malta, has been featured in several film and TV series over the years, the most famous among them being Game of Thrones. Continue reading Malta’s iconic Azure Window arch collapses →