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Everything You Need To Know About Frequent Flyer Programs!

AirWhizzDec 24, 2018 No Comments

Everything You Need To Know About Frequent Flyer Programs!

Travel Like a Pro

Travelling frequently by air can get expensive, but most flyers will agree to the fact that air travel is still the fastest and convenient way of reaching your destination.

But how do you get around those expensive flight tickets and keep your travel within your budget?

Well, the answer to this question is “Frequent Flyer Programs”!

Signing up to a frequent flyer programme is one of the most important steps to spending a lot less on travelling by air and ensuring a much better flight & airline experience.

It’s such an unbelievably simple way of saving money on flying, yet many of us don’t use it at all.

But that’s why we’re here!

To help you save whenever you fly, let us give you brief  understanding of what exactly is a frequent flyer program and how does it work.

What Is A Frequent Flyer Program?

A Frequent Flyer Program (FFP) is a promotional offer given by an airline to win the loyalty of its guests by offering certain rewards to them.

The programme involves the guest accumulating frequent flyer miles or airline miles by travelling with the airline.

These miles can then be used to make the most of rewards offered by the airline such as free flights, seat upgrades, priority check-ins and lounge access. These rewards apply to both domestic and international flights.

History Of Frequent Flyer Programs

When the concept of FFP started, airlines gave frequent flyer miles or points to the guest for the number of miles  or distance they flew with them. Basically, the points given were roughly the same as the miles a customer flew.

However, overtime this concept changed.

In recent times, while the distance travelled doesn’t earn you as much points as it used to, travel miles can now be earned in a lot more ways than just flying.

Things like booking a ticket on the airline’s website, subscribing to their magazines and booking through a partner airline credit card can earn you frequent flyer miles.

What Are The Benefits Of Frequent Flyer Miles

1.Elite Membership

As you accumulate more points, the airline tends to upgrade you to a platinum or a gold memberships.

Every airline has its stipulated amount of miles to be accumulated before you can be invited to an elite member program.

The elite membership in FFP’s give you some eye catching perks like lounge access, priority check-in & boarding, occasional free ticket upgrade, priority baggage handling and more.

2.Seat Upgrades

You can use you airline miles to upgrade your seat from economy class to premium class or premium class to business class depending on what is available with  the airline.

3.Trade Miles For Experiences

Some International airlines allow you to exchange earned miles for vacations, festivals, sporting events, and more.

Tickets to a football game, a seven-day cruise , 5 star hotel stay and tickets to an arts & music festival are just some of the packages you can exchange for your airline miles.

4. Travel With Partner Airlines

Frequent flyer miles can come in handy when you’re flying with a partner airline or if your airline is part of an alliance.

For instance, Air India is part of the Star Alliance which has International carriers such as Lufthansa, United Airlines & Singapore Airlines.

You can use your Air India miles to redeem rewards if you’re flying with its star alliance partner airlines.

Registering For A Frequent Flyer Program

There are 2 ways in which you can register for a Frequent Flyer Program:

Airline Program

Registering for a FFP is very easy. You just have to go to your airline’s website and create an account with them. Once you sign up , you will get a frequent flyer number and they will also send you a frequent flyer card.

Airline Credit Card

Airlines partner with banks to help each other benefit from their customers, so check if your credit card bank has a tie-up with an airline

If you want to stack up your flyers miles, then use your credit card wherever you can. Put away the cash and debit card. Use mileage-accruing credit cards for everything from bills to everyday items like shampoo.

For instance, Axis bank credit card holders can be a part of the “Axis Vistara Infinite” FFP. This progra gives up to 4  Vistara Business Class vouchers (1+3) based on your credit card expenditure.

Using Frequent Flyer Miles

  • Onece you get your Frequent Flyer Number, all you need to do is use it while booking your flight.
  • It will be used automatically if you’re booking through the airline’s website and points will be added to your profile.
  • If you book through websites like GoIbibo or MakeMyTrip, you can add this while you are booking the ticket.
  • In case, you forget to use the number while booking a flight, you can always let the staff at the airport counter know while check-in and he/ she will be add it to your journey. Typically your boarding pass will have this number printed.
  • If you forget to use the number all together for a journey, you can always claim your miles after 3 to 6 months for that trip.Howvere, you’ll need to retain your boarding pass for it.

*Learn more about “How To Earn & Spend Frequent Flyer Miles Like A Pro”

Best Frequent Flyer Programs In India

These are the best frequent flyer programs in India

1.Jet Privilege By Jet Airways

Jet Privilege is an award winning airline loyalty program and is useful for both international and domestic travel.

Rewards are very easy to redeem in this program, plus you can earn “JP Miles” by flying internationally with Jet Airways partner airlines like Etihad.

The Jet Privilege loyalty membership is a 5 tier program. The journey begins as a Jet Privilege Blue member and progresses through Blue Plus, Silver, Gold and finally to a Jet Privilege Platinum member.

2.Club Vistara By Vistara

Club Vistara claims to be the fastest rewarding Frequent Flyer Program in all of India and “tailored for the trendsetters and the high boardroom fliers” as stated in its official website.

However, the airline is relatively new and flies to a limited number of destinations. Plus it has only 2 partner airlines, which are Singapore Airlines and Silk Air.

Club Vistara operates a four tier Frequent flyer program which are – CV Base, CV Silver, CV Gold and CV Platinum. The more you fly with them the faster you’ll progress from basic CV Base membership to a CV Platinum Membership.

3.Flying Returns By Air India

Flying Returns was India’s first frequent flyer program.

The biggest advantage of being a Flying First member is that you can redeem and get rewards for you points across many international airlines , since Air India is part of the Star Alliance.

Flying Returns has premium membership with some very amazing perks. The program has three tiers, the Maharaja Club – as the elite tier, The Golden Edge Club and the Silver Edge Club.

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Fog Causes Flight Delays At Airports Across India!

AirWhizzDec 24, 2018 No Comments

Fog Causes Flight Delays At Airports Across India!

Aviation Insider

Fog continued to grip the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) with the temperature dipping to 3.7 degrees on Sunday morning. The dense fog also disrupted air and train service across the country.

Five international and 16 domestic flights have been delayed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Around 29 international and domestic flights were delayed at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport.

A major disruption was reported from Amritsar airport as well where 13 flights were delayed due to foggy conditions. Visibility in some areas such as Patiala was mere 25 meters.

Rail service was also affected due to the weather conditions. According to official figure, at least 131 trains in several routes were cancelled due to fog. Six trains were running late and 11 were been partially cancelled.

According to reports, several passengers were stranded for hours. Frustrated commuters also took to social media platforms to complain.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), shallow to moderate fog is likely to prevail in isolated places in morning hours over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha during the next 3-4 days.

Minimum temperatures might drop to 2-3°C over parts of northwest, west, central and east India during the next 2-3 days. However, there might not be any significant change in the minimum temperatures in the rest of the country for the next 3-4 days.

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Construction Of Pune Airport’s New Terminal Takes Off

AirWhizzDec 22, 2018 No Comments

Construction Of Pune Airport’s New Terminal Takes Off

Aviation Insider

Keeping in mind the rising passenger demand, construction has begun on a new 40,000 square metre (sqm) terminal for the Pune airport in Lohegaon.

According to a Pune Airport official, the deadline for building the terminal building is August 2021 but they are going to fast track the project so that it can become functional by December 2019 or January 2020.

Earlier, it was announced that the bhoomi puja for the terminal building would be performed on October 20 after which the construction work would start.

Pune MP Anil Shirole’s statement that top ministers of the Union government were invited for the event had cast a shadow on the beginning of the construction work.

However, the issue has been resolved. According to the official, the invitations have been sent and the ceremony will happen according to the appointments given. But they decided to start the construction because the project is important and should not be delayed. Most of the big projects of the Pune airport’s expansion are on the right track.

Dhairyashil Vandekar, an aviation expert and analyst, speaking about various challenges the airport can face next year said that the airport would have to match the capacity with increasing demand for flights. Another sore area that needs to be tackled effectively in 2019 is the chaotic traffic situation on roads inside and outside the airport.

Once the construction of the new terminal is completed, the airport’s size would increase to 64,300 sqm. The total cost of building the new terminal building is pegged at Rs 400 crores. Over 12 million users are expected to use the airport in 2019-20. This new terminal building would be integrated with the existing one.

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10 Essential Tips If You’re Flying This Winter Season!

AirWhizzDec 21, 2018 No Comments

10 Essential Tips If You’re Flying This Winter Season!

Travel Like a Pro

Winter is upon us, and in fact it seems like it’s arrived early. That means flight delays and cancellations.

Air travel is something of a gamble during winters, especially if its foggy outside.

During this holiday season if you’re planning to fly , just make sure you keep one simple thing in mind, which is “Anticipate”.

To make sure your vacation gets off to a good start, here are 10 essential winter air travel tips that you must know.

1.Cushion Your Travel Schedule

Balance the possibilities of delays or cancellations against the importance of your arriving on time.

If you have a can’t-miss meeting or famiy celebration pad your schedule to allow for a major air-travel mishap.

That may even mean travelling a day earlier. Recovering from delays or cancellations can involve extra hours, and an extra day of travel should be kept in mind while booking a flight.

2.Try To Book Non-Stop Flights

This is a must during winters!

Even if most flights to or from your home airport or destination airports require connections, consider combining different modes of transport.

For Instance, if you only have connecting flights from your city airport to you destination, you can drive to an airport near your city which has direct flights to your destination.

3.Startegize To Minimize Risk

Delays and cancellations have a domino effect throughout the day.

On most routes, book yourself on flights as early as possible since the later in the day, the worse the situation gets.

However, do this according to the weather pattern of your city. For instance Delhi is prone to early morning fog, in which case you should book yourself on mid-morning or midday departures.

4. Get to The Airport Earlier Than Usual

Heavy fog and  traffic jams as a result of bad weather mean potential delays as you travel to the airport, and you don’t want to arrive too late to check-in or be stuck in a line at security.

Because cooler temperatures mean that everyone will be wearing more layers which also means longer lines at security, as it will take each person a few minutes more than normal to get themselves and their belongings through security.

5. Check-In Online

Almost all airlines now allow online check-in either through a website or an app at least 24 hours before your flight time.

You will be able to select your seat, pay any baggage fees, and provide contact information where you can be reached if there are any disruptions to your flight.

Plus, checking in online allows you to skip the check-in lines altogether and head right for security when you arrive if you don’t have a check-in bag.

6.Keep In Touch With You Airline

Blizzards, fog, freezing rain- there are so many winter-related events that can cause flight delays or cancellations.

Avoid waiting at the airport, or arriving for no reason, and check the status of your flight about an hour before you plan on leaving for the airport.

Also, make sure the contact info you have provided can be checked regularly or easily accessed. That way you will receive any flight status updates as soon as they happen and not only when you are in front of the screens at the airport.

7. Check The Forecasts

You can sometimes spot delays before your airline officially lets you know about them.

That means keeping tabs on weather forecasts several days in advance for any airport you plan to use—departure, hub, or destination.

8.Have A Plan B

No matter what, you can’t avoid all problems!

Figure that something might go wrong, and be ready with your own alternative schedule rather than waiting to see what your airline offers.

The earlier you start to change, the more likely you are to avoid extended delays. In any major weather event, you airline is likely to waive re-ticketing fees, so be ready.

9. Be Ready To Ask For A Refund

If your flight is severely delayed and no longer want to make the trip, or your flight has been cancelled, you can ask for a full refund.

Airlines often allow you to change your flight to when the weather clears, though if you’re so delayed that there’s no point going, get a full refund instead.

10.Buy Travel Insurance

People don’t realize this, but travel insurance offers free compensation for weather delays and cancellations.

It also covers your emergency medical care (in case you fall sick during your travel) and loss of belongings while travelling.

If you didn’t buy travel insurance, check your credit card rewards. Apart from providing airline miles, they also do cover you during your air travel snarls.

So, the next time you book your ticket, Download the AirWhizz app and apply for a travel insurance with us. We at AirWhizz have partnered with prestigious travel insurance companies such as HDFC Ergo to help you plan for any unforeseen changes that might occur.

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Delhi Airport Better Equipped To Handle Fog This Winter!

AirWhizzDec 21, 2018 No Comments

Delhi Airport Better Equipped To Handle Fog This Winter!

Aviation Insider

Delhi International Airport Limited(DIAL) released a statement saying that Indira Gandhi International Airport will be better equipped to tackle dense fog this winter.

According to DIAL officials the national capital is expected to witness three to four spells of dense fog in the coming weeks.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), the busiest in the country, handles around 1,300 flight movements every day , which is around 74 flight movements every hour. But On account of fog, the airport capacity reduces by around 40 % of the normal capacity in terms of flight movement per hour.

To handle peak hour holiday traffic, DIAL has made sure that there is sufficient food & beverage at all terminals, better system to display updated flight information & other such facilities that the passengers and airlines may require.

Also, IGIA is well equipped to handle aircraft operations safely during the periods of poor visibility. For this, the low visibility procedures (LVP) for handling air traffic during fog have been put into place for all air traffic controllers.

Operations are closed if the runway visibility range drops below 50 metres. However, There are 139 parking stands equipped with aeronautical ground lighting (AGL) system which helps aircraft to operate in CAT IIIB* conditions. In addition there are 89 parking stands available under manual guidance.

Dense fog is expected in the last week of December and there are likely to be three to four spells in the coming weeks, so plan your trip accordingly.

*CAT IIIB refers to flight operations when the runway visibility range is 175 metres and not less than 50 metres.

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India Gets Highest Rating In International Aviation Safety Assessment

AirWhizzDec 20, 2018 No Comments

India Gets Highest Rating In International Aviation Safety Assessment

Aviation Insider

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the United States (US) aviation regulator, has retained India’s aviation rating at Category 1, after conducting an audit of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

This rating certifies that DGCA, India’s apex aviation agency, adheres to the standards laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and undertakes adequate oversight of Indian airlines.

Category-1 rating means that carriers from the assessed country may initiate or continue services to the USA and also take part in reciprocal code-share arrangements with American airlines.

The IASA (International Aviation Safety Assessment Program) programme is conducted by the American regulator to assess each country that has carriers operating to the US.

The ICAO looks at eight areas during an audit. They include Primary Aviation Legislation and Civil Aviation Regulations, Civil Aviation Organisation, Personnel Licensing and Training, Aircraft Operations and Airworthiness of Aircraft.

In January 2014, the FAA downgraded India’s aviation safety ranking and it was upgraded to ‘Category 1’ in April 2015.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) has stated that India’s air connectivity has grown the fastest in the last five years (2013-18). Also, despite infrastructural hurdles, India’s aviation market has demonstrated strong growth potential for the next few years.

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Delhi Police Strengthens Security At Indira Gandhi International Airport!

AirWhizzDec 19, 2018 No Comments

Delhi Police Strengthens Security At Indira Gandhi International Airport!

Aviation Insider

Passengers arriving at the IGI airport here will be able to avail services of the Delhi Police, such as lodging e-FIRs, through an interactive kiosk at the Terminal-3.

The kiosk was launched on Tuesday by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik.

Services of the hi-tech police facilitation kiosk will be available round-the-clock and dedicated police facilitation officers will man it.

The facility will soon be extended to Terminal 1 & Terminal 2 of the Delhi Airport as well.

Mr Baijal also launched the ‘Prahari Scheme’ of the Delhi Police for its IGI airport Unit. The scheme serves as a force multiplier and a community-policing system by ensuring active participation of private security guards and chowkidars in strengthening police intelligence network.

The IGI Airport Unit has en-rolled 600 Praharies from 11 hotels and three commercial centres of aerocity and other establishments at the airport complex.

The Praharis trained by IGI Airport police have been issued identity cards supporting Delhi Police personnel in checking and frisking, self defence, keeping watch on doubtful elements, information gathering among other activities.

Indira Gandhi International Airport is the busiest airport in India and the 7Th busiest airport in the world. This decision taken by Delhi International Airport Limited will surely help strengthen the security at IGIA and make sure that travellers can fly safely.

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Prayagraj Gets A Swanky New Airport!

AirWhizzDec 18, 2018 No Comments

Prayagraj Gets A Swanky New Airport!

Aviation Insider

Infrastructure developer Tata Projects Ltd has completed building a swanky new complex at Prayagraj’s Bamrauli Airport in a record time of 11 months.

Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi , was there to inaugurate the airport, complementing the builders and AAI for making such a world-class facility in a record time of 11 months.

The New Airport Complex of Bamrauli Airport has been developed by the Airports Authority of India, at a cost of ₹164 crore.

The airport belongs to the Indian Air Force and the AAI maintains a civil enclave there. The previous civil enclave had an area of 0.8acres with limited operations through a small Terminal Building. There was no scope for expansion of the terminal building at the present location.

Hence, a New Airport Complex with a modern terminal building has been constructed. The Uttar Pradesh Government acquired and handed over 50acres to the Airports Authority of India for the development of the New Airport Complex.

The New Passenger Terminal Building, centrally air-conditioned, with an area of 6,700 sqm, is planned to handle 300 peak hour passengers at a time. The terminal building is equipped with all essential passenger-friendly amenities.

One of the most recent additions at the city airport is a posh business lounge at the domestic terminal i.e Terminal 1. The lounge can accommodate some 108 persons and has multiple charging points, WiFi connectivity, a multi-cuisine menu & shower facilities also.

Since Ahmedabad has been conferred upon with the World Heritage tag, the interiors of the airport have been redone based on Prayagraj’s rich heritage.

The airport has been constructed under UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme that the Government introduced to enable air operations to unserved routes, connecting regional areas, to promote balanced regional growth and to make flying affordable for the masses.

The airport will surely boost tourism to the region and create employment opportunities.

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