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Sunday, June 29, 2014

A Star Rises?

Finally, Air India has made it into the Star Alliance. It is indeed no little achievement.
With Air India's entry into Star Alliance, its fleet renewal underway, and Jet Airways floundering in its dalliance with Etihad, it is in a sweet spot. An example is Air India's new service to Melbourne and Sydney has forced Singapore Airlines to cut down its daily frequencies to Delhi and Mumbai from 3x to 2x - till now, Singapore was India's gateway to down-under.
Now Air India should vigorously move into new sectors, which are clear no-brainers. Notable sectors are:
  1. BOM - NBO - Air India pulled out a couple of years back, but as Nairobi is emerging as a gateway to Africa and India's economic interests in Africa increasing by the day, this sector will do very well
  2. DEL/BOM - ZRH / GVA - India-Switzerland sector is dominated by Swiss International, but still more half the traffic is routed through the Gulf or other European gateways. With Indian tourists exploring Europe like never before, this sector is a no-brainer. Don't also underestimate the traffic potential of Indians stashing away their sleazy cash in Swiss banks
  3. DEL-TLV - El Al already operates daily frequencies into BOM, but a growing Israeli tourist crowd flying into India (especially, Manali, backpackers after their compulsory military service) makes DEL an ideal gateway, call it the proximity effect
  4. DEL/BOM - LAX/SFO/SEA - Air India pulled out of Los Angeles a few years back. San Francisco and Seattle still are virgin markets. Both these destinations are hot for India IT professionals and are absolute no-brainers. Jet Airways did fly into SFO via Shanghai Pudong PVG, but pulled out
  5. DEL/BOM - MNL - a lucrative route for BPO traffic, Jet Airways was rumoured to be considering flying into Manila 2 years back. Philippine Airlines pulled out of Delhi a few years back leaving a vacuum
  6. ATQ - YYZ - another no-brainer route for Punjabi families traveling to meet their kith and kin in Trraanto, Kanadda - Amritsar has a big catchment for this traffic
  7. DEL - YVR - with its significant Punjabi population and big catchment in Western Canada, Vancouver is an ideal gateway
  8. DEL - IAD - with a potential for growing India-US ties under the Modi administration, there will be massive defence, government and lobbyist traffic between Delhi and Washington DC
  9. DEL - JNB/ CPT - South Africa is a gateway to Southern Africa. While South African Airways does fly into BOM, it is inconvenient for North Indians travelling to South Africa, who now have to fly through Mumbai, the Gulf or Addis Ababa
Another brainwave I got last night was that of having an Air India retrojet. Air India is an awesome brand, and people who flew the airline in its heydays - the 1970s and 80s, fondly recall the quality of service. It would be great to bring back these nostalgic loyalists back with a retro jet - a Dreamliner painted in the livery of the Air India Boeing 707s (of the 1970s and 80s) with the Centaur logo. This would be unbeatable. Airlines abroad (KLM, Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia, Malaysian) have used planes painted in retro colours as successful marketing tools!
If the Air India cleverly manages fleet renewal, new routes, marketing with a great customer service with Star Alliance standards (this is again another sweet spot - Jet Airways has nosedived on service), it would become a rising star!

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Plane Spotting at HKG ... Part 3

Today, I dug out some old photos - photos of Plane Spotting at HKG from my first trip there in 2010.


A Cathay Pacific Airbus A340....


The hills around Chek Lap Kok airport make for an interesting backdrop....


A Dragonair Airbus A320



A United Airlines Boeing 747-400 which had come in from SFO earlier...
I loved this livery - it's so much better than the new hybrid one with the Continental Airlines tail...


A Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400 and a Dragonair Airbus A330 in the distance...


I so loved this United livery...


The sexy backside of the Boeing 747-400!


Lining up at the gate and up, close & personal with this beautiful bird from Japan....



This set of photos is taken from the Ngong Ping cable car....
The ride gave a good view of the cargo terminal of HKG
Here you can see a Kalitta Air Boeing 747-400F, an Emirates Sky Cargo Boeing 777F and two Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-400F aircraft....





All in a day's work at HKG!





Seems Polar Air Cargo has a big base here at HKG....




And when it was time to return back home, I spotted a Kenya Airways Boeing 777 - Oh God! I so wished I could head back "home" to Africa!


Pushback and Goodbye HKG

Chettinad Exotica....

There is nothing more fulfilling than discovering exotic and palatable food in one's travels... 
In April this year, I visited Chennai for work. A colleague, who is a extreme foodie like me, suggested we head to Ajappar at Nungambakkam for some Chettinad exotica!
There were no two ways about it.... I had to go....



Wow! I was excited to see rabbit on the day's specials...
Last year, on my frequent sojourns to Trichy, I always visited Kannapa's, to have rabbit, but it was never there... but this day, lady luck was smiling on me....


A family enjoying their meal....
As a Punjabi, I had always lived with a stereotype that we were the ultimate meat-freaks in India...
But when I saw these Tams, I knew how wrong I was.....
They are not vegetarians (at least not the majority) and they are into the exotic stuff - rabbit, duck, quail, partridge and what what not, unlike us Punjabis, for whom Tandoori Chicken and Butter Chicken is the be-all and end-all, the holy grail of anything non-vegetarian!


That's my rabbit masala, mutton biryani with raita and gravy....


Fish chop!


Ahhh lovely and easily the best comfort food - Kothu Parotta. I can't forget the last time I had this at Madurai! It was unbelievably great!


A second helping of egg biryani and burped our way out!!!!!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Plane Spotting At BOM -- Part V

So, I am back in business again...
I have often been asked what do I fancy in planes.... Well there is an indescribable thrill in spotting a plane. A sudden rush of adrenaline pumps me up... 
Why?
I don't know. Who cares why when there are so many beauties around...
This latest series of Plane Spotting At BOM from this morning's trip to Bangalore. Boarding a 0635 flight to Bangalore from here in Mumbai, brought me up close to a bevy of heavies from near and far... Enjoy!


The Ethiopian Dreamliner, pushing back, with the red beacons flashing...
The Boeing 757s and 767s on the BOM-ADD has been upgraded to the Dreamliner!




Pushed back and ready to taxi...


Turkish Airlines Boeing 777 - Turkish used to fly the Airbus A340 and the Airbus A330 on the BOM-IST route. I was a bit surprised to see the Boeing 777 here...


There goes a Kuwait Airways Airbus A340 - they usually fly in A320s into BOM


The Kuwait A340 makes its way to the runway


Kuwait Airways A340 on its takeoff roll....





Sunrise at BOM....



Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 getting ready to depart for Changi...
I am yet to see their Airbus A380 here!



I love this bird from Plaisance! Air Mauritius used to fly in Boeing 767s in the early 2000s. They moved on to the Airbus A340 equipment and now the Airbus A330...
I will always sweet memories of flying on Air Mauritius!




And now we push back.... and its time to grab a few winks!

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Up In The Air .... Part 19

Up In The Air is back, with yesterday's flight from Mumbai into Delhi....
This time around, I used a sophisticated point & shoot rather than my mobile phone and the resolution is much much better.


Overflying Udaipur...


The Boeing 737 has a lousy wingflex. Waiting for the day when the widebodies fly on the BOM-DEL routes, there indeed quite a market...



Experimenting with the retro modes - black & white and sepia...


I love this blue....


Look what it's come to - Carnations Lounge at BOM now stocks Chinese newspapers... But the WSJ has gone....


Experimenting with panoramic mode....


And the descent begins...







On short finals...







Spoilers and reverse thrusters deployed....



Welcomed into DEL T3



What a lovely copper mural...



And the legendary mudras... they are so beautiful!
These mudras were one of the many reasons for the nauseating Mumbai-Delhi tiff... When the T3 opened in 2010, a Mumbaikar remarked that the "classical" Delhi mudra of the middle finger "up yours" was missing... How cheap.... When will Mumbai stope being jealous of Delhi?