Air India’s First Boeing-Dreamliner to Be Revealed Next Week

Online sources revealed that Boeing is all set to deliver Air India’s first 7 'Dreamliners' out of the 27 planes order. The US aircraft builder informed that 'Dreamliners' would land in Hyderabad next week during the India Aviation 2012.

However, the airline is believed to induct the dreamliners in May after the operational and technical certifications from the US Federal Aviation Administration, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and other agencies.

Air India’s 787 dreamliners will feature its quintessential livery that includes distinctive 'red and white' colours portraying flying swan with the 'Konark Chakra'.

A Boeing spokesperson said, "The super-efficient Boeing-787 Dreamliner is set to make its debut at Hyderabad as part of Boeing's commercial products showcase at the 2012 India Aviation Airshow".

He aforesaid that the Dreamliner aircrafts were set to land at Begumpet Airport on the eve of the Hyderabad airshow and will remain on static display till March 16.

Air India, popular for offering cheap tickets for flights to India, has been expecting the delivery for almost three years and has sought a heavy compensation from Boeing.

In order to manage the anticipated financial burden after this deal, the airline has decided to sell and leaseback the first seven Boeing-787’s. The airline has also started looking for bridge financing worth USD 230 million.

However, the decision to curtail the order or leaseback all the planes or purchase some of them outright rests with the Indian government. The government also seeks to sort out the compensation issues before Air India starts inducting these dreamliners.

Air India plans to replace the B-777 aircrafts with Boeing-787s on its long-haul, non-stop flights including US and Canada. So holiday makers can now expect Boeing-787 to be best choice for netting tickets on long-haul flights to India.

Boeing 787 - Game Changer

The Boeing spokesperson while informing about Air India’s Boeing 787 said, it will feature "Beautifully designed interiors with warm colours, a luxurious business-class cabin, overhead crew rest compartments and an economy-class section,"

Details on the number of seats in both classes of travel are still unavailable due to commercial reasons.

Boeing's Senior Vice-President (Sales) Dinesh Keskar said, "The 787 Dreamliner is a game changer and we are proud to bring it to India Aviation 2012, which is a perfect place to showcase the world's most advanced commercial airplane."

Boeing claims 787s to be 20 percent more fuel-efficient as compared to other similarly-sized aircrafts. If Boeing’s claims are to be believed, then Air India might just become a more popular choice for travellers looking for tickets on cheap flights to India. But it remains to be seen if the airline would be keen on passing on the savings from greater fuel efficiency to delight travellers with cheap flight to Indiaand other destinations.

Air India's plane acquisition programme from Boeing, including the Boeing 787s has been supported by the US Exim Bank. The bank’s support amounts to USD 3.4 billion.

Reference: News Source

Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia Enter Partnership

Effective August 2011, frequent travellers on Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia are going to benefit immensely with the partnership agreement that the two airlines entered into. The alliance is subject to the approval from relevant authorities.

Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia entered into a long term alliance with each other by signing an agreement today. The alliance which aims at combining the network of Singapore Airlines’ international destinations and Virgin Australia’s routes within Australia and pacific will not only result in mutual benefits for the two carriers but it will also benefit their customers in a big way. From throwing open a number of new destinations to these customers, the alliance will allow them to use the resources and facilities of these airlines in a reciprocal way.

News Release

As per a news release published by Singapore Airlines jointly with Virgin Australia, with effect from 1st August when the alliance takes effect,

• Singapore Airlines customers will be able to interline on Virgin Australia’s domestic network, allowing them to travel through to a range of destinations with one ticket, through-checked baggage, terminal transfers and inclusive meals; and

• Virgin Australia Velocity Gold members and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold members will have reciprocal access to each airline’s airport lounges.

The alliance is subject to approval from the relevant regulatory authorities and the airlines say that the customers will be able to get the full advantage of the partnership from late 2011.

Passenger's Benefits

As a result of the alliance, both the airlines will be able to sell tickets and seats on each other’s international and domestic flights. The codeshare arrangement has always spelled added advantages for the passengers when it comes to the facilities, benefits and the resources of any airlines. Although, the two carriers may not show up amongst airlines selling cheap flight tickets, the valuation of the benefits resulting from their alliance may cheer a number of cheap flight lovers.

Frequent Flyer Programme: The members of Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer will be able to earn and redeem miles when they book on flights operated by Virgin Australia. Conversely, the members of Virgin Australia’s frequent flyer program ‘Velocity’ will be able to earn and redeem the points for miles flown on the flights operated by Singapore Airline.

New Destinations: Through the joining of the networks of two airlines, a number of new destinations have become accessible for the passengers of both the airlines. The network of Singapore Airline has added 70 more destinations in the route map of Virgin Australia and 30 new routes have fallen in the kitty of Singapore Airlines using the network of Virgin Australia. Not just this, the passengers will be able to take up their travel to these destinations on a single ticket while benefiting from through-checked baggage, terminal transfers and inclusive meals.

Reciprocal Lounge Access: The passengers of both the airlines will be able to access each other’s airport lounges.

Jet Airways Enters into Code Share Agreement with Gulf Air

Jet Airways entered into a code share agreement with Gulf Air. Under the agreement, Jet Airways would be placing its flight code on every Gulf Air flight between Bahrain and Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai in India. Similarly, Gulf Air would be placing its flight code on all the daily Jet Air flights between Mumbai and Bahrain. Romanian citizens stand to gain the most from this code share as they get a wealth of choice to fly from Bucharest to the US, Canada, India, and the Middle East. Not only does the agreement provides better connectivity to Bahrain from various Indian destinations, but also gives Bahrain’s denizens access to Jet Airways’ awesome domestic network. In addition, Jet’s frequent flyer partnership also receives a boost.

With both Jet Airways and Gulf Air being market leaders in their respective domains, the code share allows both players to attain revenue synergies by exploiting each other’s market dominance. “While the carriers get to leverage their individual networks, passengers would find a world of facilities such as better connectivity, crease less inter-flight transfer, checked in baggage right through to the final destination, and the most frequent and swiftest approach to the Middle East” as pointed out by the Jet Airways’ “Best Overall Agent” award winner, Southall Travel (Southalltravel.co.uk).

Jet Airways, the premiere global carrier of India, operates cheap as well full service flights to as many as 42 Indian and 22 overseas destinations spanning the Gulf, Asia, Europe, and North America, including Riyadh, Dammam, Sharjah, Jeddah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat, Bahrain, Kuwait, Kuala Lampur, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Singapore, Colombo, Hong Kong, Brussels, Toronto, London Heathrow, Newark and JFK.

Gulf Air holds the distinction of being the largest Middle Eastern network providing crease less onward global connections while operating non stop flights. Presently, Gulf Air connects 43 cities across 28 nations stretching from Europe to Asia. The airline operates a fleet of 35 aircrafts.