Emirates

In-Flight Connectivity: Here’s What You May Have To Pay!

AirWhizzSep 12, 2018 No Comments

In-Flight Connectivity: Here’s What You May Have To Pay!

Aviation Insider

It will soon be possible for Indian travellers to use Wi-Fi and make calls while flying as the Department of Telecom(DoT) is set to allow In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) services from October.

As per the existing rules, no person can use any electronic device which intentionally transmits radio signals while aboard an aircraft. However, with the advancement in technology, it is not very difficult for Indian carriers to launch this facility after they get the licence.

How Much Will It Cost The Airline

According to experts, it would be a herculean task to provide IFC services since the cost of installation and the turnaround time to do so will be quite high.

It is estimated that the cost of installation will be around $100,000 per aircraft and turnaround time would be about eight days. However, this estimate depends on the aircraft type, fleet size, bandwidth, other technical specifications and regulatory requirements.

Estimates may vary, but the cost of providing IFC is certainly going to be high.

How Much Will You Have To Pay

Given the cost and turnaround time, it shouldn’t be a surprise if IFC services are expensive, at least in the initial stages.

Airlines across the world use different pricing strategies for connectivity services. The charges for net connection might range from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 for 30 minutes to an hour as per international standards.

However, a lot would depend on the packaging of the IFC services being offered by the airlines. To differentiate their product experience from other airlines, they may offer special packages to frequent fliers and premium customers or may even base pricing on the time of the flight (early morning flights generally have more corporate travellers).

Aviation experts believe that within a couple of years of the launch, one can expect these services to become free.

Airlines such as  Emirates, JetBlue and Turkish Airlines already offer free IFC. In two-three years, we can expect IFC services in India to become free of cost like in hotels, restaurants and malls.

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19 People Fall ill On An Emirates Flight To New York!

AirWhizzSep 06, 2018 No Comments

19 People Fall ill On An Emirates Flight To New York!

Aviation Insider

In a bizarre incident that happened on a New York bound Emirates Flight, Over 100 passengers and the airline crew complained of feeling sick when the aircraft landed.

The Emirates Flight 203, which was travelling from Dubai to New York carrying at least 521 passengers, landed at the John .F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport at around 9 a.m. yesterday. Passengers complained of feeling ill with symptoms such as cough and fever.

The aircraft was taken to a location away from the terminal so that emergency officials could evaluate the situation.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was working with other agencies to evaluate passengers, including taking temperatures and making arrangements for transport to hospitals.

19 people were confirmed to be ill. Out of those, 10 people were taken to the hospital while the other 9 declined treatment. The people who were taken to the hospital included 7 cabin crew members and 3 passengers.

All the other passengers were allowed to leave by afternoon after the evaluation. They were advised to call a doctor if they developed symptoms later.

Laboratory tests on samples from the patients have not confirmed the illness, but the symptoms such as, fever, cough and vomiting indicate influenza.

Doctors and medical experts believe that passengers who had attended the annual Haj pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca must have contracted the flu virus there. Many reports suggest that the virus had been spreading in that region. During the 14 hour flight, it must have got transmitted between passengers.

All who were hospitalized are in stable condition and no one was in need of “extreme” medical attention.

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In-Flight Internet & Calling Services May Start In October 2018!

AirWhizzAug 24, 2018 No Comments

In-Flight Internet & Calling Services May Start In October 2018!

Aviation Insider

The telecom department is all set to allow in-flight calls and internet services on airplanes in India by October end this year.

The Department of Telecommunications(DoT) has said that they are in the final stages of in-flight connectivity license norms and the service option will be given to carriers and telecom companies within two months

DoT has largely followed all recommendations put forth by the Telecom Regulatory Authority Of India (TRAI) in terms of drafting guidelines. After the department clear the plan, an estimated two weeks will be required for the Law Ministry’s approval.

There have been meetings with both telecom operators and airlines and some players have shown interest in offering the services.

In January 2018, TRAI issued recommendations to allow both calling and Internet services on domestic flights. As part of the in-flight connectivity proposal, the Telecom Commission will initially allow Wi-Fi on flights and slowly get into voice services as well.

The internet services will be allowed through Wi-Fi onboard. For calling services, the airplane/flight mode on the phone will have to be kept off. It is expected that consumers will need to pay an additional fee to avail these in-flight services, however, telecom companies may gradually throw-in bundled packages to attract frequent fliers.

While there is no immediate clarity on pricing of such services, analysts say that it could be much higher than the rates for mobile services on the ground. This is because airlines will have to make an initial investment to install the equipment required to support in-flight connectivity.

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Jet Airways Cancels Pay Cut Proposal After Internal Protests!

AirWhizzAug 07, 2018 No Comments

Jet Airways Cancels Pay Cut Proposal After Internal Protests!

Aviation Insider

Last week Jet Airways had announced that they might reduce the salaries of their employees by almost 25 % owing to a financial crunch.

The Airline has decided to not go ahead with this plan after a lot of backlash from their staff, including pilots.

The management had delayed their staff’s salary thinking that they would be convinced that a pay cut would be in the overall interest of the airline. However, the management went back on its proposal after the chairman’s assurance to employees. The airline has credited the full salary of its staff for the month of July.

The top-level management has taken a pay cut to help the airline cut on wage costs and survive this financial storm, which has been created by the unfavorable aviation market.

Jet Airways brand name has taken a beating after news of financial turbulence. In fact, the airline saw many ticket cancellations across the country due to this.

The airline’s Chairman, Mr. Naresh Goyal, held a meeting with the staff saying that these circumstances are temporary and Jet Airways is ready to benefit from the growth in the Indian aviation sector.

Following the meeting, pilots association National Aviators Guild (NAG), issued a statement calling for unity in these tough times. They said that NAG is confident of Jet Airways’ short and long-term sustainability.

Jet Airways finances have been hit due to rising crude oil prices and weakening of the rupee, which has inflated their operating cost. In addition to these factors, the airline has lost a chunk of its market share to its main competition, IndiGo.

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Jet Airways Faces Major Financial Turbulence!

AirWhizzAug 03, 2018 No Comments

Jet Airways Faces Major Financial Turbulence!

Aviation Insider

In a bid to revive their financial condition, Jet airways is looking to sell a part of its stake and has approached investment bankers to help them out.

India’s second largest airline, by market share, has been going through a rough patch as they have been left cashed strapped due to high fuel prices, rising competition and lack of expansion in the past 6 months.

The airline is looking to raise immediate cash and the stake sale may include Jet Airways founder, Mr. Naresh Goyal, offloading a part of the promoters share in the company. Mr. Goyal owns a majority stake of 51 percent in the airline while Etihad owns 24 percent stake.

Jet Airways has reported a loss of Rs 636.45 Crores in FY 2017, while its competitors SpiceJet and IndiGo Airlines registered a profit of Rs 566.66 Crores & Rs 242.37 Crores respectively.

The senior management team of the airline informed its employees in several face-to-face meetings that the carrier’s financials are in a bad shape and drastic measures need to be taken to cut costs. They have said the airline will not operate more than 60 days if these measures are not taken.

Apart from selling shares in the airline, Jet’s top management has pitched for a 25 percent cut in their staff’s (Including pilots) salary and a reduction in the number of leaves to reduce employee cost.

The airline held a meeting with their pilots in Delhi and Mumbai on 1st & 2nd of August for negotiating these terms. Jet Airways CEO Mr.Vinay Dube, EVP Flight Operations & Engineering, Mr. Nikhil Vaid and Chief People Officer Mr. Rahul Taneja, addressed the pilots.

This was followed by an open house discussion, for the proposed salary cut, with the representatives of the airline’s pilot union, National Aviation Guild (NAG).Currently, Jet Airways has 2,000 pilots and a workforce of 16,000 people.

Jet Airways is not the only carrier to be affected by intense cut-throat competition and rising fuel costs. Many domestic airlines have reported a drop in profits for the first quarter of this fiscal year.

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Air India Records Highest Number Of Passenger Complaints In June 2018

AirWhizzJul 20, 2018 No Comments

Air India Records Highest Number Of Passenger Complaints In June 2018

Aviation Insider

With the Air India disinvestment falling into shambles, it seems like the debt-ridden airline can’t catch a break.

The state-owned airline had the most number of complaints lodged against it, amongst all domestic airlines, in June 2018.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) domestic traffic report, a total of 677 passenger complaints were registered last month against different airlines in India.

Here are all the details about the report –

  • Air India topped this list with 237 complaints registered against them.
  • Jet Airways & its low-cost subsidiary ‘Jet Lite’ stood second with 199 complaints against them.
  • IndiGo had a total of 140 complaints registered against it.
  • Complaints against airlines such as AirAsia, Vistara, TruJet & Air Odisha were in single digits.
  • Air Deccan & Zoom Air recorded no complaints against them.

Almost 29 % of the total complaints were due to flight operation problems such as delays, 27 % were due to baggage handling issues and 25 % of complaints were against customer service related issues.

The remaining 19 % of the complains were related to various other reasons such as staff behaviour, refund, airfare and food catering.

The DGCA report shows that although the percentage of complaints against flight operations and customer service were lesser in June as compared to the previous two months, complaints related to baggage, refund and staff behaviour had risen.

Out of the 677 complaints, 615 issues have been dealt with, however, 62 cases still remain unsolved.

The report also stated that the number of passengers travelling by air in the month of June has drastically reduced as compared to April & May, due to the end of the tourist season.

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Emirates Brings Back “Hindu Meal” Option On Their Food Menu!

AirWhizzJul 06, 2018 No Comments

Emirates Brings Back “Hindu Meal” Option On Their Food Menu!

Aviation Insider

Dubai based airline, Emirates, has decided to bring back the “Hindu Meal” option, 24 hours after it had decided to scrap the food category from its menu.

On 3rd July 2018, the airline had announced that they will remove the “Hindu Meal” option for their passengers in the economy class while retaining it for those in the business and first class. They had done this based on the reviews and feedback they had previously received.

However, once the airline announced that they were going to remove the ‘Hindu Meal’ from their menus, they got a lot of customer feedback saying that they should not scrap it. This made the airline reverse its decision and decided to bring back the meal category the very next day.

On 4th July 2018 the airline released a statement saying that they have always provided a variety of special meals that can be ordered at least 24 hours in advance to cater to their customers with medical or religious dietary requirements, including Hindu customers. This is why they will bring back the ‘Hindu Meal’ option.

For Emirates, food and drinks form an important part of their flying experience and their chefs carefully choose a menu based on the cultures & preferences of the airline’s wide customer base.

For their Indian passengers, the airline provides food options like Vegetarian Jain Meal, Indian Vegetarian Meal, Kosher Meal and Non-beef Non-Vegetarian Meal.

The ‘Hindu Meal’ is a popular option that many international airlines offer their passengers. Airlines like Singapore Airlines and Air India offer such ‘religious meals’ to their guests.

Emirates is the largest international airline operating in India, in terms of flights. The airline operates flights to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kochi. Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram.

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