Fares in the Sky

>Turkish Airlines starts daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul. See http://www.thy.com/

>Air India Express adds four flights a week on the Chennai-Trichy-Dubai sector, taking the total number of weekly flights to seven. Also start one flight a week from Thiruvananthapuram to Kuwait. See http://www.airindiaexpress.in/

>Druk Air to start four flights a week on the Paro-Bagdogra-Bangok sector from March 29, making it the first airline to start international operations from Bagdogra. See http://www.drukair.com.bt/

>Emirates starts seven additional flights from Dubai to Mumbai, and one flight each to Chennai and Bangalore (making it the largest international airline flying to India). See http://www.emirates.com/

>Kingfisher Airlines starts daily flights from Mumbai to Nasik. Offers an all-inclusive fare starting at Rs 883. Also starts four flights a week between Mumbai and Solapur. See http://www.flykingfisher.com/

>Jet Airways and Jetlite offer 30-day apex fares starting at Rs 300 and Rs 1, respectively, on a number of sectors. Fares available till April 30. Jet Airways also introduces daily services on the Chennai-Kochi and Chennai-Coimbatore sectors. See http://www.jetairways.com/ and http://www.jetlite.com/

>Spice jet offers 30-day advance booking fares starting at Re 1. See http://www.spicejet.com/

Going Abroad - Kashmir

Custom Search Kashmir has finally gone international. On Feb 14 Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the new Srinagar International Airport, and flagged off the first international flight, an Air India Express flight to Dubai, from the terminal. The new terminal, which spreads over 19,700 square meters, has all the features one would expect of the modem terminal – aero bridges, central heating, escalators and a 12,000 ft runway capable of handling most large aircraft.

An Instrument landing system (ILS), which will allow aircraft to land in low visibility, will soon be installed. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft used for the inaugural flight was decked up for this important occasion – a colorful painting of a shikara on the Dal lake on one side of the tail and an image of the Thar desert on the other. The flight to Dubai will initially be once a week, and a one-way ticket will cost Rs 7,035(including taxes). The flight will of course, save people traveling out of the valley the hassle of transiting through Delhi, but the hope is that this and more flights to come will bring many more international tourists to Kashmir

New artificial coral ref off phuket

Ten aircraft have been submerged off Bang Tao Bay in Phuket’s Talang district in the Andaman Sea to form a new artificial coral reef and diving site. The 16-18m deep area where the fleet was sunk has a sand bed, and is one km away from the natural coral reef and the Bang Tao Beach. The fleet of sunken aircraft once belonged to the Royal Thai Air Force. The diving spot is expected to help boost Phuket’s strategic position as a world-class marine tourism center

First pay-to-use lounge opens at Los Angeles airport

Passengers at Los Angeles International Airport can now enjoy services usually reserved for business travelers, following the opening of the first pay-to-use relax lounge at Tom Bredley International terminal. The lounge is open to all passengers above the age of 21. Admission costs US$ 25 and allows passengers three hours use of its facilities. Passengers with flights at other terminals may use the relax lounge. It comes with comfortable sating and the fee covers snacks and beverges, and use of the business center, featuring wireless Internet access and fax, photocopying and printing facilities