Delta Effects Changes in the Skymiles Program

Delta Airlines, one of the major carriers in US, has announced changes in its frequent flyer program (FFP)- SkyMiles. The changes have been made with a view to make the awards more lucrative for the travelers. They would now be able to redeem their miles at lower prices for one-way tickets and will be able to earn the Medallion Qualification Dollars on the partner airlines.

Some of these changes are:

1. one-way award tickets to be redeemable for travel of 10000 miles till December 2015. However, this comes with a limitation of travel upto to certain US, Mexican and Caribbean markets.
2. Award travel has been expanded to include more partner airlines and the carrier has also enable people to book the award tickets from their mobile devices using the Fly Delta mobile application.
3. Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) has also been elaborated so that the people can earn these miles irrespective of the ticketing carrier. This will lead to faster accumulation of MQDs even when the ticketing is done by another carrier with which Delta has codeshare or interline agreements.

Delta had shifted its FFP from being based on flight miles to spending in US dollar terms from the beginning of January 2015.

GOL of Argentina Signs Codeshare Agreement with Air Canada

Air Canada has entered into a codeshare agreement with the GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes of Argentina which will enable the passengers to make more effective and convenient use of the networks of the two carriers. Though the two airlines already have an interline agreement wherein passengers can make a single reservation for flying on both carriers, this agreement will further increase the scope of the travel and benefits for them.

This agreement, when approved by three organizations-Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil, the Canadian Transportation Agency and the Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica, will allow Air Canada code to be added to the Argentine carrier’s tickets. It will also allow for the accrual and redemption of the frequent flyer miles or points on respective programs of the two carriers.

Air Canada currently provides direct passenger service to 64 Canadian, 52 US and 78 cities in rest of the world. The GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes is a low cost carrier of Latin America with presence in 71 destinations. It does not fly long haul since it is a LCC, its international destinations are limited only to Caribbean, South America and the US.

Air India Shutting Down Offices Worldwide

Surviving on massive government bailout package for the moment, Air India, the national carrier of India, is in the process of putting its house in order for the ultimate objective of attaining profitability in the near future. As a part of series of measure across the horizontal and vertical segments of its business operations and cutting across different departments, Air India is shutting down offices which it considers a drag on its resources. While it is happening in India, it is also being done in foreign cities as well.

Air India has offices in many countries of the world, even in those countries where there are no flight operations. Efforts are afoot to close all those offices where revenue generation is not as per expectations and where there are no flights. To meet this end, the carrier has shut offices in Zurich, Chittagong and Vienna. In the immediate future, it will also close offices in Cairo and Tehran. However, the offices in Washington, Los Angeles and Amsterdam will continue to remain open even though these cities do not have flights currently. Air India will also be downsizing operations in its Toronto office. 

United Airlines Adds Cruise Redemption to its FFP-MileagePlus

In a move that will be welcomed by cruise lovers who fly United Airlines, the carrier has added cruises to its list of redemption options for its frequent flyer program members. The cruise-lovers can search for packages at cruises.mileageplus.com or using the toll free number which will be manned by cruise experts. You can check the details here. Travelers can make use of various tour options based on cruise lines, destinations or themes of cruise.

Number of miles to be used for redemption purpose varies according to chosen viewpoints such as Interior, Oceanview, Balcony or Suite. The destinations served on cruise are in Caribbean, Europe, South America, Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska. Redemption can be done wholly by using the accumulated miles as well as by partly miles-partly money options. All in all, this diversifies the options available for people for using reward miles. 

Singapore Girl now reaches Madame Tussads

Very rarely does it happen that instead of a celebrity, an iconic brand of a reputed airline takes a place in the prestigious Madam Tussads wax museum. It is perhaps the first instance in the history of this museum that a girl’s wax statue has been created who is not a celebrity in herself but has been chosen to represent the brand image of a world-class carrier, the Singapore Airlines. The video of the creation of statue has also gone viral and appreciated a lot.

Vistara on ‘Vistar’

Vistara, the full service legacy carrier of Tata Sons and SIA, has announced the plans to begin flights to Guwahati and Bagdogra in North-East India. The airline currently operates flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. With the addition of these new destinations from Delhi, there will be greater connectivity with the region, which is well in tune with government ambitions as well.

The carrier is awaiting a nod from the government to do away with the 5/20 rule wherein the new carriers are allowed to operate the international flights only after they have operated on domestic sectors for 5 years and have a fleet of at least 20 aircraft. This rule is proving to be a major stumbling block in expanding to more profitable international destinations rather than expanding to low-profit sectors on the domestic routes.  However, the other carriers, who have already suffered due to this rule in the past, are opposing the move arguing that there shall be level playing field among all carriers and rule shall not be changed. The government is also pondering over the cons of taking this step of removing the rule.

However, till the time government takes a final decision, Vistara is expanding into high density corridors. Bagdogra is the main gateway to many attractive tourist destinations in the region and considering that the number of travelers to that region is increasing by the day, Vistara has moved to cash in on the demand. 

FAA Rules for Drones

The much awaited rules for flying of drones for commercial uses have finally been unveiled by FAA. Here are some of the key points in this respect:

• These shall weigh less than 55 pounds, must stay below 500 feet and must fly at no more than 100 miles per hour.
• People who fly it shall be at least 17 years old. They shall pass an aeronautical test. And, they have to be vetted by TSA.
• Drones have to fly within sight of operator and during daylight only.
• FAA knowledge tests have to be passed every 2 years.
• In case of risk collision, drone operator shall manoeuvre away first.
• It shall not fly over people, except those who are directly involved in its flight operations.
• Must not come to airport flight paths and observe restrictions of airspace, permanent or temporary.
• No object shall be dropped from the drone from air.
• Operating in reckless and careless manner shall not be allowed.
• Operator shall perform pre-flight inspection to check whether there are proper communication links between the control station and the drone.
• Though FAA is not mandating that the UAS shall be subject to airworthiness testing, it might apply to UAS that have FAA mandated components. However, it is the responsibility of the operator to ensure that it is safe before flying it.

Though these rules have been hailed by the community of drone lovers, there are still some concerns regarding their use. The FAA is also expected to pay more attention to the three contentious issues outlined below and frame regulations covering these concerns. These issues are:

1. Relaxing the ‘Line of Sight’ rule so that these can be used more profitably for commercial purposes.
2. Asking the drone manufacturers to implement geo-fencing in order to delineate the area where the drones can fly. These will act like limits to the flights of drones.
3. Develop stringent privacy protection mechanisms so that the individual privacy is not breached with their usage.